The Deathbringer
by Lakewood
Summary: The kidnappings of the Whispered are happening again in full swing. But, the major threat is not from the terrorists, but is inside of Souske. What horrible secret is Souske carrying with him? Will he be able to overcome it? Only the rain will tell.
1. The Coming of the Rain

**Disclaimer:** I make no claim to the series, ideas, or characters of Full Metal Panic.  
  
**Author's Notes:** This is my first time writing fanfiction. So, since I am going to try this, I decided I would write on one of my favorite animes, Full Metal Panic. I beg that those who read my work please submit a review, whether it be good or bad. By the way, for the record I haven't seen what I've heard people refer to as Fumoffu, so my story will not be taking that portion into consideration. Thank you.  
  
**The Deathbringer**

**Chapter 1: The Coming of the Rain  
  
**_By Adam Lakewood Copyright 2004_  
  
It had been going on to two months since Gauron's demise at the hands of Souske and Kaname. Unfortunately, the Whispered were still a prime target to other, more powerful organizations; they just weren't as quick to the punch as Gauron. The threat still existed, and now it seemed like the latest fad to see who could capture the Whispered, and cause as much collateral damage as possible in the process. Fortunately, most of these attacks were brushed off by the government and press as being terrorist attacks, so the people were still not aware of the presence of the Whispered; as it should be.  
Even though there were only tests run on the Whispered that were captured, the survival chances of these individuals were only 14%; the tests were that lethal. No matter how much protection the Whispered were put under, it seemed as if they all had equal chance of being captured, and as a result of the experiments and tests, dying. The only exception to this was Chidori Kaname. This was due in part to Mithril's intervening. Mostly due to one Sergeant Sagara Souske of Mithril. Since he played his part so well in the protection of Kaname, and due to excessive persistence on his part, he was reassigned as her protector once more. Unfortunately, though, Sergeant Major Mao and Sergeant Webber would not be able to assist him this time as they had last time. There were more of the Whispered that also needed protection now that there were more people after them.  
Because of the increasing threat to the Whispered and the decreasing protection that Mithril could provide, Souske and Kaname had to be relocated. They were oddly enough sent to what Kaname later found out was Souske's house. Or, to be more exact, Souske's mansion. Kaname had thought that being a soldier, Souske's home would be wherever he may roam, but she was wrong. As Souske pointed out to her, Mithral paid, if not rewarded its soldiers very well. It turned out that Souske had been telling one of his fellow comrades about a large mansion that he had seen once that he had said he liked. Word of this got out to some of the higher ups, and within a few weeks Souske had an exact replica of that mansion down near a coastline that was also now his land. Not that he ever got to enjoy it that much.

He had told her that this would make about a week that he had been able to actually stay at his home. Every inch of the house was furnished, and one would have thought that there were close to fifty people living in the mansion instead of only Souske. The mansion was two stories and was built like a European house of the late 19th century. The house was brand new, but felt as if it were very old. It had well polished hardwood floors all throughout that only had the occasional orient rug spread on a section of the floor. The furnishings were that of old European design. There was not a single room in the house that did not have at least one full bookshelf in it. That was a lot of books considering there were a lot of rooms; there were very close to twenty-five rooms. Kaname absolutely loved the large space within the mansion, but would soon find the large area a nuisance, especially at night when the unexpected tended to happen.

* * *

Souske had changed quite a bit in the past couple of months after Gauron's death. He now seemed a little bit more laid back and less uptight. He would actually now kid around a little bit and would even make the occasional joke, some of which were actually somewhat funny. Also, he wasn't as suspicious about everything as he once was. This is not to say that his suspicions weren't still easily triggered, though. Kaname liked this new change about Souske. He seemed to be a much more of a likable person now, though she liked him quite a bit before this change. He acted a lot more like a normal person, which still wasn't that normal, unfortunately.  
  
It was their fourth night in the luxurious mansion. And, the night could not have been set up any better for a horror story. The thunderstorm outside contributed mostly, especially because of the hype it had been getting.

Kaname loved the beautiful mansion during the day when the sun would reflect off of the hardwood floors, and the sound of the breeze would echo throughout the large estate. Yes, there were a lot of modern appliances in the mansion. Television, computers, stereos; they were all there. Kaname made great use of these for the first couple of days in order to keep herself preoccupied, but Souske never seemed to turn to them as a source of entertainment; he may catch the weather channel on occasion, and he seemed to rather enjoy the opera station on the radio. He hadn't watched the weather in the last couple since they were just saying that there was going to be rain for the next week.

Most of the time Kaname would find Souske lying on the couch in the living area of the bottom floor. He would have the have the windows open allowing the fresh spring breeze to flow through the room. He would usually either be lying on the couch staring up at the ceiling, sitting on a pillow in the middle of the floor meditating, or sitting in the armchair reading one of the many books from the bookshelf.

After the first couple of days, Kaname actually started to realize why Souske did this instead of watching football like all other men his age. Of course, Souske was not like all other men his age, so it did not really surprise her that he took little joy in these sorts of things.

After the first couple of days, Kaname started joining Souske in the living area, and rather started to enjoy these things that she had beforehand considered odd. There was an odd serenity that she found about the atmosphere that Souske seemed to adore. It was rather refreshing. Soon, she found it to be enjoyable, and like Souske, would participate in reading the books and staring at the ceiling. She had asked Souske why he would lay around and stare at the ceiling. He had pointed the interesting yet odd fact that the seemingly random design of the statch on the ceiling had an actual design the more you looked at it. He said he didn't much enjoy it, but to his disliking, it was addictive trying to follow the endless pattern. Kaname had laughed at this "hobby" of his, but soon realized that he was right; it was very addictive. Every time she would follow the pattern for a while, she would lose it. So, the two of them spent some silent, quality time with each other lying on the floor attempting to find the interior designer's creative train of thought.

They had spent a good time of the day at the park, having a rather good time. Kaname felt the joyful mood that they were sharing dampen a little bit when Souske had looked towards the sky with a frown when a strong gust blew in. He predicted that it was going to rain before the night was over.

During the daytime, Kaname found the mansion to be absolutely astonishing.

Unfortunately, the nights were not so. Maybe it was all of the late night horror movies that Kaname had watched, but the mansion was very unsettling, if not unnerving at night.

During the nights, Kaname would cuddle close under her blankets. The trees outside the window seemed to do scary things to the shadows. Not to mention that the mansion was incredibly quite during the night when all of the windows were shut.

The mansion seemed to be the perfect setting for a horror movie. The windows were large, making it impossible to see out of at night, but making it very possible to see into the house; who only knows who could have been standing out there looking in on her during the night. This especially worried her since the Whispered were being targeted even worse than before. It didn't seem like anyone would attack, but neither did it seem that Gauron would when he did. If anything, the people were good at striking when you least expected it. It made her feel a lot better though knowing that Souske was alert a lot of the night. Sometimes he was even alert all night. This was very comforting to her until she finally found out why Souske didn't seem to sleep at night.

Tonight was the night that the rain started also.  
  
"No! Stay away from me!"  
  
Kaname was awakened by the shout of Souske's voice along with the sound of the thunder shaking the walls. She had never heard him shout like that. Likewise, she had never heard him sound so absolutely... terrified. This only made her fear the darkness of the house even more. Something actually had Souske spooked, but now was not the time to be chicken. Souske sounded as if he could use some help. Who was he talking to? A terrorist perhaps? No, Souske was brave in the face of those people; he would never be fearful of one. This made her even more fearful since most people were would run off screaming at the sight of a terrorist. Souske would only smirk at such opposition, but whoever this was, he had Souske afraid. She quickly scrambled to her doorway and started to open the door.  
  
The sound of someone sprinting past her closed door only made her fear more intense. She jerked back and tried to hold back a gasp that was already making its way out of mouth. She quickly slapped her hand over her mouth to make sure that she would not be heard. Was Souske actually running from this person?  
  
"Please! I'm sorry! I really am!"  
  
Souske now sounded as if he were a small child attempting to beg his way out of the punishment of his parents. Still equally terrified, though. This frightened Kaname even more. Souske now sounded as if he were pleading with someone. She then heard a sound that she could not identify. After this she heard Souske let out a scream that could curl one's hair.  
  
Kaname heard a crash and then a slight rumbling sound of what sounded like someone falling down the semi-spiral staircase followed by another crash of a breaking vase. She flicked on the lights, and quickly ran to the railing of the hallway to peer down below for the cause of the commotion, even though she had an idea as to who was the cause. She stared down from the top of the stairs to see Souske dashing around downstairs in his boxer shorts. She saw Souske make a dash to the wall closest to the front door. He turned around quickly and looked as if he were bracing for something. Kaname did not see anyone else down there. He looked up in utter surprise when he saw Kaname above. He peered over to his left at what one would have only thought to be empty air and then back up at Kaname. It was by this point obvious to her that Souske must have had a nightmare.  
  
"Kaname! Go back in your room! It is not safe out here!" he said looking up at her and then quickly back to his left and then quickly back up.  
"Souske, what's going on?!" "No!" exclaimed Souske peering to the stairway leading up to where Kaname was.  
"Leave her alone; she has nothing to do with you! Please!"  
  
But, Souske's words went unheard by the empty air at the stairwell. So, he quickly took to action to insure her safety. He quickly ran up the first four stairs and leapt through the air over an additional five. As one would expect, he hit the stairs rather hard and began making his tumble back down.  
Kaname was rather surprised by this, and then shocked when she noticed the large amount of blood where Souske's head had hit on the stair. She looked down the stairwell to see Souske lying on the floor not moving. She quickly ran down the stairs and quickly took him in her arms.  
"Souske! What were you doing?! Are you okay?!" she asked when she noticed he was starting to come around.

Souske focused his eyes on her. His half open eyes suddenly widened with great fear. He startled Kaname as he suddenly rose to his feet, grabbed a metal candlestick holder off of the table by the stairwell, assumed combat position, and looked around the room quickly for the invisible intruder. Unfortunately, the blood coming from his head was not agreeing with his hasty actions. Before he could react, his legs gave out and he went falling to the floor like a structure without a foundation. Kaname quickly crawled to his side and lifted his blood drenched head onto her lap. Before Kaname could even open her mouth to say anything Souske was already talking again, through slurred speech.  
"Kaname, go back to your room. It is not at all safe here. She'll get you!" he said while his eyes still wandered around wildly.

Souske had the look of a wild dog being cornered. Except he wasn't hostile, but he was scared out of his mind. Kaname had never seen him like this before. But, everyone has horrible dreams every now and then. He was trembling and looking around the room as quickly as he could, which wasn't very quickly. He looked like a scared child, so the only thing she could do was comfort him like a scared child. She shushed him in a soothing hiss, and began to talk to him in a very quite and soothing voice.  
"It's alright, Souske. You just had a nightmare. I'm here; you needn't worry. I..." she was cut off short when she noticed the look on Souske's face.

His face pulled into what looked something like a sneer, and then the unexpected happened. He started breathing very heavily, and then he started jerking when he tried to hold his breath. Tears welled up in his eyes as he quickly shot up and reached his arms around Kaname's neck. After Souske took in a hard, quick breath of air, he began crying. This was the last thing that she would have expected from a hardened war soldier like Souske. She could not imagine something so horrible that would have caused this from Souske. Could he be having a nervous breakdown? And, if so, what was the cause? Hearing him like this though made Kaname feel as if her heart were going to break like a tree ornament under pressure. She had to focus a little when she realized that Souske was trying to speak between sobs.  
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I didn't know! I didn't know! I swear to God, I didn't know!"

With this he broke down even more and tightened his grip around Kaname's neck.  
"It's okay, Souske. It was just a dream. Nothing's going to happen; I'm here now."

Kaname wrapped her arms around Souske and began stroking his back. She felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. It was heartbreaking to even imagine what could have gotten Souske so upset.

* * *

About ten minutes later, Souske was sitting Indian style in the middle of the bathroom floor. To the left of him there was a pile of white towels which were apparently soaked with his blood. To the right of him was Kaname, carefully wrapping a bandage around his head. For the past ten minutes, the only thing that was going through Kaname's head was what had happened to Souske just a few minutes ago. Everything else except what just happened a few minutes ago seemed to be going through Souske's head. Now came the dreaded peroxide. Kaname winced by just thinking about what the stinging liquid would feel like to poor Souske. But, this had to be done. One would have thought that the horrid liquid was just water to Souske; he made no sound, nor did he flinch. He just kept talking through the whole thing.  
  
"Kaname, you really needn't concern yourself over my well being. I can treat the wounds myself. It is after all 4:00 in the morning, and it would be best for you to get some sleep." 

He stopped to take in a long breath before continuing. Now was her chance.  
"Souske, exactly what hap..." Unfortunately she was interrupted by Souske again.  
"That was a very nice vase. I really wish I could have avoided breaking it. I believe that was a vase imported directly from the eastern coast of..."

He was obviously trying to act as if nothing had happened. But, if something could bother him that bad, it was something he needed to talk about.  
"Souske."  
"When I was there on a recon with the Alpha 7 team I believe I saw a vase similar to that one."

He seemed to hope that she would believe that it didn't happen the more he acted so.  
"Souske."

Normally, Kaname would have been much more impatient, but this was obviously a sensitive matter and needed to be handled accordingly. She would keep trying all night if she had too. Souske knew what she was going to say, he had to bring her attention to something else.  
"Have you heard the one about the old man with the gorilla in the bar?"  
"Souske."

It seemed as if Kaname might just be here all night. Surprisingly, Kaname was very patient with this. Yes, this had to be handled delicately. It was beginning to amuse her though as to how Souske was trying to desperately avoid the subject. This likewise made her worry about why he would want to avoid the subject so badly.  
"Well, it goes something like this. This man walks into this bar with a gorilla that he had just bought from a foreign AO Team. He goes in and he says to the bartender: "' Bartender, me and my friend here would like a..."  
"Souske."

Kaname sounded sterner than before, but far from angry. This was a very serious matter, and it needed to be discussed.  
Souske lowered his head with a long sigh. He took a breath and raised his head back up. She could not be deterred from her track of mind.  
"Yes, Kaname?" he said in an almost sorrowful voice.

He feigned ignorance even though it was obvious he knew what she was going to ask.  
"Souske, I'm going to be straight with you. You were a wreck down there. I have never seen and never expected something like that from you. And, in all actually, it scared me, very badly. I know that it's probably not something that you are accustomed to, but people have horrible dreams sometimes. Would... would you like to tell me what you were dreaming about, Souske?" she said as she continued to bandage his head.

She was somewhat unsure as to how to approach this topic, but hoped she had chosen the correct way.  
It was odd for Souske to not reply immediately to something said to him. But, it was apparent by the next couple minutes of silence that he did not want to talk, nor did he want to hear any other mention of it. Kaname figured she would try to approach of playing on his sympathy.  
"It's alright, Souske. I can understand if you don't want to talk about it with me. I guess some things are real personal, huh?"  
Souske's continued silence bothered her. He would usually say something if she sounded as if she were saddened by something he said, or in this case, didn't say. She was now starting to feel bad for being so pushy. Maybe it was best they didn't talk about this subject. She waited a little while before she began to speak again.  
"Souske, I'm..."

She was taken aback when he quickly drew in an almost painful sounding breath. He lowered his head again before he commenced talking. He spoke so low that Kaname had a hard time hearing him, but maybe that was because he had his back to her.  
"Missions against terrorist groups were always the hardest. One could never label one terrorist group since they were all so different. The motive may be the same, but execution is always completely different. Sometimes you never know what to expect; sometimes you may be regretting a decision; sometimes you may get too cocky; sometimes things may not go... exactly as planned. Accidents happen. Accidents are caused by those who are not competent in their duty. Accident is not a good excuse for incompetence. I wish sometimes that I had..." He was interrupted by a loud crack of thunder that shook the walls once again. With this he stopped and immediately went back into the silence he was in before.  
"You wish you had what, Souske?!"

At this point Kaname was highly concerned about the Sergeant that sat on the floor with his back to her. She was now starting to realize that his experience as a soldier had a lot to do with this.  
"I dream a lot, Kaname. I dream so much in fact that I am capable of waking myself up from dreams that I may find unpleasant."  
"Well, yes, maybe. But, sometimes dreams can seem so real that you may not be able to tell a difference."

She had meant this as a way to comfort him; Souske obviously took this as an insult.  
"Are you saying that I am incapable of distinguishing illusion from reality, Kaname?!"

His voice was cold. He sounded sad, disappointed, angry... hurt.  
Kaname knew she was treading on thin ice, but it seemed as if she hadn't been treading lightly enough. She reached her hand out to touch his shoulder.  
"No, Souske. I didn't mean it that way. Please, don't be..." she said to him in a pleading voice.  
He cringed as soon as he felt her hand touch his bare back. The flicker of the lightning shined its way through the bathroom window. This was soon followed by another loud roar of thunder. The anger welled up inside and he quickly spun around, batting her arm away with his. He batted her arm away so hard that it hurt a little. He wafted his hand through the air in front of him violently.  
"Don't you dare touch me! Not now, not ever! I thought I could trust you and open up to you some. But, obviously I was wrong. I should have known that you wouldn't believe me; you're no different from everyone else!"

The look in his eyes was terrible. He looked as if he could have killed her where she sat. Just like she had never seen anyone in such a sad state he was in earlier, she had never seen anyone as angry as he was now. Tears started to form in her eyes as she listened to his hateful confession. His words carved their way into her heart like a knife. When he saw the look in her eyes his eyes lost some of the look of hatred in them, and his breathing slowed down a little bit as a few beads of sweat hit the floor.

"I don't know why I ever thought that I could... I don't know why I... I don't know why I said that, Kaname."

Kaname looked back up at him slightly surprised. His entire mood had just switched from raging mad to a state of confusion in just a matter of seconds.

"I know I can trust you. I know you weren't trying to be rude. I know you would never do anything to betray me. I don't know why I said that. I'm very sorry. I didn't mean any of what I just said. I would never say anything like that, not to you. Why did I say that? What did I say; I don't remember? I just... I'm sorry, Kaname. You know I would never say anything like that to you. Why did I say that? I didn't mean any of it. I'm sorry. I'm very..."

Kaname nearly shrieked in surprise as Souske quickly reached out for her. His arms wrapped around he tightly, pinning her arms to her side. He pulled her close to him and rested his head on her shoulder.

"I get confused sometimes, Kaname, even scared. Sometimes when I'm alone I... I don't know what to do. I get very scared sometimes. I... I'm tired."  
Kaname desperately wished to ask him more about this. His words, his sudden outbursts of emotion, they didn't make any sense to her, and it worried her. But, she decided that he was not really in a good state to continue on with this. Unfortunately, she could not move since Souske had her in his tight embrace, and now he was deathly quite, but she could still feel his warm breath on his shoulder. Kaname would have said something, but she was at a loss for words.  
Another few minutes went by before Souske finally released his grip from Kaname. This startled her, especially since she was almost asleep. In one quick motion he rose to his feet and dusted off the legs of his boxers.  
"It's getting very late, Kaname." said Souske as he took a quick glance at the clock on the wall.

The clock read 4:52 a.m.  
"... or early, however you want to look at it. Regardless, we need to get some sleep."  
"Yeah, I guess so." was Kaname's reply.  
"My head hurts." complained Souske as he grabbed his head.  
This brought a smile to Kaname's face.

"Well, I would guess so since you gracefully swan-dived head first into the stairs!"  
"I guess it would wouldn't it?" he replied with a smile on his face.  
Souske stopped for a minute to listen to the gentle rhythm of the rain on the bathroom window. He looked out the window but could not see out for the hazy, wall of water coming down over the window.  
"Its really coming down out there."  
  
Souske went toward his room when he exited the upstairs bathroom. He got ready to close his door before he looked back out at Kaname.  
"Kaname?"  
"Yes, Souske?"  
"Thank you... for listening."  
"Thank you for talking to me." replied Kaname  
"I am very sorry I yelled at you."  
"It is not a problem, Souske."

Both let out a bit of pleasant chuckle.  
"I guess it's just that time of the month, no?" said Souske with a smile on his face.  
Both let out a bit more of full-throated laughter.

"I guess so, Souske."  
Souske closed his door again. Many questions were racing through Kaname's head over Souske. Was he okay now? Should she stay awake in case something else happened tonight? Would he be okay by himself? Had she bandaged his wounds good enough? She decided it wouldn't be a good idea to question him, so she headed for her room.  
Curiosity killed the cat. She had to at least ask him one more thing before letting it go for the night.  
"Souske?" she called out towards his door.  
Just a few seconds later the door to his bedroom opened again, and Souske came out to stand in the doorway.  
"Yes, Kaname?"  
"I... have one more question for you."  
"Yes, what is it, Kaname?"  
Kaname's face blushed as she got ready to ask her question.

"Do you really care for... uh... me... as much as..."  
"Yes."

The reply was short and to the point, but she was satisfied. Souske had replied as if this were common knowledge that everyone knew; who knows, maybe it was. Kaname put on a bright smile which Souske tried to return with the best of his ability, which wasn't much but still sufficient.  
"Good night, Souske."  
"Good night, Kaname"  
Both turned their backs to each other and headed to their rooms. Unfortunately, the cat was back and so was the curiosity.  
"Souske?"  
"Yes, Kaname?"  
"Are you sure you were not just having a dream a while ago?"  
His next few words ensured that the rest of the night would be restless for her. His reply would replay over and over as she tried to make sense of it all, for she knew Souske would not lie to her.  
  
"Dreams cannot harm a person, Kaname."

The rain would continue to pour for the rest of the night.


	2. The Eve of the Storm

**Disclaimer:** I make no claim to the series, ideas, or characters of Full Metal Panic.  
  
**Author's Notes:** I want to thank all of those who reviewed my last chapter. I really appreciate you taking your time to read and review my story; it makes me feel as if there are those that take joy in my work that I take joy doing. Thank you, ShiniJekka, for pointing out something I left out. "Good premise and good characterization, thus far. Just one question, though - you mention Chidori as the one exception of the Whispered in dire danger of being captured. What about Tessa?" The protection of Tessa, as a leading captain of Mithril and one of the Whispered goes without saying. Of course, her protection would come before anyone else's, and she is probably under the best constant protection in the world. This was obvious to me, but you are right, I should have pointed that out before in order to prevent confusion. Thank you for pointing this out to me; I will have to be careful about making assumptions in my future writing. I hope everyone enjoys my story. Please let me know of what you think of the story by leaving a review. Is there anything that I need to fix? Is the story difficult to follow? Do I need to pay more attention to detail to something? Please let me know so I can make my story the best it can be. Thank you.  
  
**The Deathbringer  
  
Chapter 2: The Eve of the Storm**  
  
_By Adam Lakewood Copyright 2004  
_  
The rest of the night was just like Kaname had predicted it to be: restless. It was starting to become lighter outside as the sun attempted to pierce its way through the rain clouds. It was lighter outside, but the presence of the sun was missing. Even the brightness of the sun could not penetrate the darkness of the clouds. The rain was still pouring off of the roof of the mansion like thick walls of water.

Kaname was not one to be superstitious, but she was definitely going to take this as a bad sign. As if to make sure she would take it no other way, a large black crow flew past, back, past again and finally perched on her windowsill and glared directly at her. Black, soulless eyes bore into her like a drill.

The glare of the black bird of misfortune was not the one that promised bad luck, suspicion, or fear; but instead promised great suffering to those who may dwell into the dark unknown, symbolized by the bird's eyes. This chilled Kaname from head to toe, and decided it best to not look at it or even be where it could see her.

Kaname could not resist looking into those dark caverns once more before looking away. This time the eyes had a strange effect. No longer did she feel unnerved by the gaze of the crow, but felt more relaxed; almost as if being taken by the warmth of that darkness. This frightened her even more since she could not will herself to look away. She wanted to call out, but a part of her did not want to.

What Kaname needed at this point more than anything was a good luck charm, but even that would only be fueling superstition. Almost as if it were a miracle, one would have thought that the gaze was broken by divine intervention.

Souske was her good luck charm. He was not present in the room, but obviously from some other location he had taken disdain to the bird of death. There was a flash of white that Kaname would have first believed to be a lightning strike considering the rest of what was going on here.

A lightning strike it was not. Closer observation on the rebound off of the bird revealed it to be a baseball. There was a loud, short- lived squawk from the infernal creature before it was replaced by a space of black feathers. After getting over the initial shock of this, Kaname heard something shut.  
Kaname quickly got out of her bed, not wanting to be in that place any longer for the moment and went to where she heard the sound. Sure enough, there was Souske standing by the hallway window just outside of Kaname's room. He quickly turned to see Kaname coming out of her bedroom.  
  
"Good morning, Kaname. Did I wake you? I apologize if I did; I was not meaning too." he said to her with a somewhat of a smile on his face.  
"No, Souske. I was already awake. I didn't sleep anymore last night." she replied looking at him curiously.  
"I'm sorry to hear that, especially since it was I who was the cause of it."

His smile slowly turned into a frown.  
"No, it wasn't your fault. Besides, I would have it no other way; I'm glad I could be there for you. I... kind of feel like I'm... repaying the favor in a small way. By the way, did you just throw a baseball at the bird near my window?"  
Souske's eyes widened and his mouth gaped open.

"You... you saw that?!"  
Kaname stared at him oddly.

"Yes, I saw it; what was that all about?" she asked, not that she was in the slightest bit unpleased that he had broken her from that bird's hypnotic gaze, or more so, broke the bird.  
Souske swallowed hard. He almost looked embarrassed, but he told her anyway.

"Not that I am a superstitious person of anything, Kaname, but a large crow landing on your windowsill while it is raining like that outside and especially after what happened last night, cannot be a good sign."

He looked out the window before finishing his explanation in a mumbled voice.  
  
"The situation made me feel uneasy, so I decided it would be the most rational option to get rid of the cause of my unease."  
Kaname put her hand over her mouth to stifle the laugh, but it still came out in the form of a giggle. It was ironic that Souske had the same track of mind that she did, which was actually kind of scary. Also, using a baseball to kill the Initial Threat: Crow, just seemed to be a funny way to do so. She had to ask his reasoning.  
Kaname finished laughing and looked back up at Souske who was now smiling again.

"So, why exactly did you use a baseball as your... weapon of choice?"  
"I thought you were sleeping, so I didn't want to wake you. I figured my Russian STP ML Sub-machine gun would startle you awake. Also, a full spray shot radius from the armor piercing ammunition of a machine gun would be a little bit overkill just to rid your windowsill of a bird. A baseball is a very accurate and stealthy weapon if used in the proper way. It was the perfect choice to annihilate the unwanted perpetrator. So, through means of accuracy and the stealth of the chosen weapon I was able to..."  
Kaname couldn't take it anymore. This was absolutely hilarious. Very thoughtful, yes, but very hilarious. A slight chuckle soon turned into a giggle which then evolved into hysterical laughter. She found the concept of Souske annihilating a simple crow with a well placed pitch from a baseball to be absolutely hilarious. The mental image kept popping up of Souske in his sleepwear groggily walking over to the window muttering profanities under his breath, opening up the window, winding up for the pitch, and slinging a baseball full force at the noisy crow perched unaware on the windowsill. The sight of the baseball clocking the unlucky bird on the head and the quick replacement of the bird with a mess of black feathers also kept replaying itself in Kaname's mind. She was having a hard time to stop laughing.  
Souske was still quite unsure as to what Kaname found so funny. He had simply diminished his target with a well placed improvised weapon. The entire ordeal seemed logical and rational to him, except for the reason of why he found the crow to be such a threat to need swift retribution. He was quite sure she was laughing at his logic behind his actions. This did make him feel slightly annoyed with her. But, still, seeing her laugh like that seemed to bring him an odd satisfaction, even if it was at his inconvenience.  
He took satisfaction in standing there watching her laugh. He had always admired her beauty, but she was even more beautiful when she was happy. He felt as if he could stand there and marvel at her appearance all day, but that would not do; he still remembered what it was that made him stand guard outside her door all night. He knew that he had a problem, but he was always capable of handling it. Now, it was getting out of hand. She was going to hurt Kaname, given the chance. This alone was enough to pull him out of his moment of bliss. His smile slowly formed itself back into a frown as he looked out the window at the pouring rain.  
Kaname stopped laughing when she noticed that Souske was no longer smiling.

"Souske, I wasn't trying to be mean. I'm sorry. I was just..." she said in a saddened voice before she was interrupted by Souske.  
"No, trust me; you have nothing to be sorry about. It is not you that has me upset."  
The way he emphasized on that part bothered her. She was pretty sure she knew what he meant, which made her worry that much more. Obviously, Souske had seen the dampening of her mood and decided to do something about, despite his own worries. He turned back to her and tried his best to smile; it was a hypocrite's smile, one that was truly empty.  
"We laugh and joke all in good time, don't we Kaname?" She had to give him credit for trying to seem happy.  
"Oh! By the way, I have breakfast ready, or at least something like it. I was waiting on you to join me when you woke up. You can come have some if you dare to eat it." he said with that same forced smile.

She figured she'd play along with it for now.  
"Oh, Souske! You shouldn't say stuff like that. I'd say that you can cook very well; you do everything else very well. Let's eat! I'm kind of hungry."

She smiled and headed for the kitchen with Souske following behind.

* * *

"What is this?" 

Kaname picked up what looked like an oddly shaped black and brown brick off of the kitchen counter. She looked at it with a quizzical look, trying to figure out what it was.  
"I have decided to call it Bacon Brick. It was originally a quarter pound of non-cooked bacon, but then I attempted to fry it. The result is what you have in your hand." Souske said while pointing at the rectangle object in Kaname's hand.  
Kaname hit it slightly against the countertop. Bits of bacon, or the crisp thereof, crunched and fell to the countertop.

"Maybe you should have thrown this at the crow instead of a baseball." she said in between laughs.  
"Yes! I don't know why I didn't think of that. You... do not want to see the eggs, trust me. I... I didn't know... eggs were supposed to do that."  
Kaname decided that she wouldn't press the matter of eggs any; there were even some things that she didn't want to know.

As Souske named off the failed attempts of many different breakfast items, she started to realize what he was trying to do.  
"Souske. Are you asking if I will cook breakfast for us?" she said as she smiled at his odd attempt to ask his question.

He may have been beating around the bush to ask the question, but he did not hesitate to answer her question.  
"Yes, Kaname. I know that you can cook well; I'm hungry, you're hungry, and... I cannot boil water without... burning it."

He softened his voice on that last part, but he was still heard.  
Kaname laughed in response to his joke and set about making breakfast while Souske went to take a shower.

Soon, breakfast was done, and though they had a fine dining table to sit at, they decided they would prefer to eat in the den, and watch the television. The rain made it impossible to do anything outside or go anywhere for that matter.

Neither Kaname nor Souske had seen it rain like this before, especially since it hadn't let up all through the night before.

The den, probably the coziest part of the mansion, was the only room with carpet in it. The carpet was of old design and color, but was obviously new. All of the furniture in the room matched the carpet, as did the texture on the ceiling. There was a fire place on the furthest wall to the right. Of course it wasn't being used though since it was mid spring. It still added as a beautiful decoration that also added to the coziness of the room. The room was smaller than all of the rest, but that just added to the theme. The couch was very comfortable and was obviously made for extended periods of sitting or lying. The room had many shelves in the corner of the rooms with many orient decorations, and the grandfather clock in the corner of the room would make its presence known every hour with a melodic rhythm of chimes.

As of right now though, the television was the main concern of the two. After much channel surfing, Kaname finally brought it to a stop on an old, un-dubbed, Chinese martial arts movie. It wasn't exactly Kaname's number one choice of TV programs, but it certainly had Souske enticed. She decided to leave it there since Souske didn't watch the television that much.

She couldn't understand what they were saying in the movie, but Souske acted as a translator when he wasn't completely engrossed in the martial arts. All throughout the movie, Souske named all of the martial art styles, and even the maneuvers they were using. He acted as a referee for the movie like any other man would act like a referee during a ballgame.

Soon, though, when Kaname looked over to ask Souske what one of the men just said to the young lady of the movie, she saw that he was out like a light. It seemed as if the restless night had finally caught up with him.

She reached out to get her glass of water off of the table in front of the couch, but accidentally knocked Souske's wallet off onto the floor. When it hit a few of its contents spilled out: business cards, driver's licenses (all twenty-one of them), and what caught Kaname's attention the most was what looked like the back of a picture.

Souske had pictures? Of who? She knew she shouldn't prowl through the contents of his wallet, but her curiosity had been sparked. She looked over to the other side of the couch to see that Souske was still sleeping soundly. Now was her chance if she were going to see it. She carefully picked up the picture so as to not wake Souske. She flipped it over to look at the front of it.  
The picture was that of Souske, obviously not that long ago, with a very beautiful woman. Beautiful was not the word for this woman. If there were a better word, then this woman would be the epitome of it. The woman looked a few years older than Souske. She had shoulder length red hair and piercing green eyes. She looked to be American. She was dressed in a beautiful blue dress with matching high-heel shoes. She was wearing a necklace with a green stone in the middle of it. Standing beside her with his arm around her was Souske. Souske was dressed up in a very nice tuxedo. The both of them looked very happy. Kaname was envious of the woman in this picture. Who was she? How did she know Souske? Was she Souske's girlfriend? Why hadn't Souske mentioned her before? She had to mean a lot to him in order for him to have a picture of her in his wallet. Kaname stared at the picture for a good while trying to take in every detail of the picture.  
"Her name is Sister Meredith Rily."  
Kaname jumped in surprise at the sound of Souske's voice. She had been caught, and Souske was sitting there staring a hole through her. He did not have a very genial look on his face. As a matter of fact he looked somewhat upset. Kaname could not bring herself to speak. Souske began picking his stuff up off the floor. Perhaps he was doing so because he didn't like the mess in the floor, or maybe he did it as a way to manage his anger at the moment. Yes, he was angry, but that did not stop him from talking about the source of Kaname's questions and curiosity.  
"She is a nun of the Credence Catholic Church in Denver, Colorado of the United States. She is, or was, a part of Mithril. She wasn't a soldier, but she was an... advisor. " Kaname finally found the ability to speak again.  
"An... advisor, Souske?"  
"Yes, Kaname. The soldiers of Mithril, like myself, would see some horrible things while on duty. Some of these things were too horrible for most average people to even comprehend. Mithril only employed those of strong will, but even they could not deal with these things sometimes, or at least not alone. That's where the advisors would come in. Each soldier was assigned an individual advisor. This advisor would be that specific soldier's doctor, psychiatrist, and even friend. An advisor was to assist a soldier through health conditions and even more so, mental conditions. The advisor was to be around the soldier, if at all possible, a minimum of three hours a day. This was in order to help the soldier out mentally by knowing that he was not alone and would always have someone to turn to if something was bothering him."

He stopped and looked outside at the rain as it cascaded over the large windows. Souske really hated talking about this. He had tried his best to avoid the subject, but seeing the concern in Kaname's eyes made him want to confide in her.

Her brash nosiness made him feel as if he wanted to render her unconscious right there on the spot. But, of course he could never do that to Kaname; she was after all, only concerned and wanted to know more about him. Maybe he shouldn't keep her in the dark about him if she really was that concerned about him; maybe she should stop trying to pry into his past; maybe he should give her a reason to not feel concern for him. No, Kaname was being nice to him; he had no reason, no right, to act rude toward her. It was so easy to talk to her, yet it pained him to talk to her.

She reminded him so much of Meredith. If she was going to show such concern for him, the least he could do was talk to her. That was the least he could do. She was...

"Sister Meredith was my advisor. I was so different from everybody else in Mithril that I had no friends. For months, she was my best friend. We did everything and talked about everything. She just seemed to be highly educated in everything. She could talk to me about military aspects and give me just as much knowledge as I could her. That is where I got a lot of my military knowledge that I have today. As I said, we did everything together. We would discuss military topics, go fishing, go to movies when we had the free time, everything. She was the only person that I could talk to about my personal problems. She was my only true friend for a while, until I met Kurtz. She seemed to be the only person who understood or even believed me about my main problem. Yes, I would even talk to her about little Kar..."

He withdrew from his conversation right then like a demon walking on holy ground.

He had almost forgotten who he was talking to. This was not his Meredith. He couldn't talk to her about that problem. His problem must be getting worse; the secret is trying to get out. Either that, or he was slacking; that makes twice that he had almost let it slip. Once last night in the bathroom, and once just now. He would have to be careful from now on; he just relaxed way too much around Kaname for his own comfort.

Also, he couldn't tell her; she liked him and he didn't want that to change.

"Please, Souske, tell me more. I want to know more about you." she asked him with a tone of interest in her voice.

She could tell he was still mad, but maybe it was helping him to talk about it.

"I don't... think I should." he said as he got up to go into the kitchen.

But, Kaname would have none of this.

"Oh, no you don't!"

She said in a playful manner as she quickly latched to him and pulled him back down on the couch. He wanted to choke her again. He decided it would be best if he weren't to do that and comply with her wishes for the moment. He would not let his aggravation go unnoticed, though. He sat back down on the couch and let out a long, exhausted sigh.  
  
"What?" he asked in a tone that would scare small children.

He made sure to glare at her for added affect. She was stalwart.

"I want you to talk to me some more." she said as if it were casual conversation.

Normally, it would have been to anyone but the two people present in the room. She was hoping that if she acted casual he might speak as if it were more casual conversation between friends. But, he was silent. He looked pained, as if he were in deep thought.

"You really miss her don't you?" she asked him, dropping the casual tone.

This was definitely not casual conversation; this was obviously a serious matter, or at least for Souske.

"Yes, very much."

His answer came sooner than she expected, but she had her next question ready.

"You really cared for her didn't you?"

She knew she was once again treading on thin ice; she hoped it didn't break like it did last time. He was very calm, and he no longer looked upset with her.

"I loved her dearly. I still do."

That answer was totally unexpected. She didn't think she had ever heard Souske mention the word before. She had to admit though, the truth hurts sometimes. But, that's what she gets for asking. She hadn't treated him as kindly as she should have before, so maybe she was getting what she asked for. It didn't help that he decided to talk more about the topic. She had finally got him to open up to her, but now she was wishing that he would keep quiet.

"I know she loved me also. I wish I could still see her today, but my job keeps me busy."

That hurt. It hurt very badly. Of course, he probably didn't mean it the way she was thinking, but she was his job right now. It sounded as if he were saying that it was her fault. Normally, she would have been angered by that, but how can she be angry with the truth: she was his burden. He had a loved one that he could not go to because of her. She knew that Souske didn't mean it that way, but she did.

"She could help me with... my problem; she always did. I'm a soldier, though. I should be able to deal with it on my own. I guess I will."

Whether or not he was trying to be rude, it just rubbed Kaname the wrong way. This made her slightly angry at him. He had cried on her shoulder last night, and now he was acting as if that didn't matter. She had been trying to help him, but all he was doing now was talking about how he was on his own. She couldn't take it anymore.

"Souske, I have been trying to help you, but you won't let me! If you were to let me, I could help you!" she practically yelled at him.

This seemed to get his attention for a moment, but then he went back to the way he was.

"No, Kaname. It is not your place to attempt to help me."

He had replied in that cold voice that she knew all to well.

"I know it's not my part, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't like to help you. I'm worried about you, Souske! Please, let me help you."

"No. There is no reason to be worried. After all it is none of your concern."

He stated that so "matter-of-factly" that it made her want to erupt like a volcano.

"'None of your concern?' Damn it, Souske! I am concerned! Why won't you tell me this secret of yours? I swear that I won't betray your trust. Please, why won't you tell me!?"  
This seemed to get an immediate response from him. He quickly jumped up from the couch and pointed his finger at her. He involuntarily raised his voice at her. All of this kind of startled her, but what unsettled her most was what he said to her.  
"Because I know that if I were to tell you, you would hate me, Kaname!"

He slowly dropped his finger and slowed his breathing. He was not angry; he was making what he thought to be a strict fact.  
This had her worried. Souske knew that she would never hate him for anything, so what was so bad that he thought she would. And, how could Souske think that she would ever hate him for something; hate was a very strong word, especially coming from the mouth of Souske; he had used the word only when he was talking about Gauron. Had she given him a reason to think she would hate him? She smiled at him which kind of took him by surprise.  
"Souske, don't be silly; I wouldn't hate you for anything. Sister Meredith wouldn't hate you for anything would she? I won't either. I..."  
She had a talent for saying the wrong things to him when she thought they would be the right thing. That seemed to light a match under his latent anger.

His eyes widened as soon as he was about to get a drink of water out of his glass. In one quick motion he brought it away from his mouth and slung it against the wall with all of his might. The glass broke into hundreds of pieces as it fell to the floor. Kaname shrieked and curled up on one end of the couch clutching her pillow to her. Souske approached Kaname quickly. He jerked the pillow out of her grasp and threw it across the room. He roughly picked Kaname up by the shoulders and slammed her back against the wall. She gasped half out of fear, half from pain as she hit the wall. He leaned in close so that he was right up in her face.  
"You see, in that lies the problem. You are not Sister Meredith, you are Kaname Chidori. You are not her, and you will never be her. So, just shut up, and stop prying into my business!"  
He screamed that last to make sure to get his point across.

This was not the Souske she knew at all. He gave her one last forceful shove against the wall before releasing his stern grip on her and walking out the front door into the rain. Kaname stared at Souske's departing figure as his image was replaced by the rain pouring over the windows and the tears pouring over her eyes.

She rested against the wall and slid down to the cold, hardwood floor. She pulled her knees up close to her and began to cry, wondering what she had done wrong. She stayed like this for hours, and Souske stayed outside in the malicious rain. Kaname's mood was not improved at all when the thunderstorm started, nor did it when the dream came to her.  
  
To Be Continued  
  
**Author's Notes:** I actually have a good bit of fun writing this story. I never would have thought that writing fanfiction could be so fun. I guess I was wrong. I want to again thank all of you who reviewed my last chapter. I believe that a person's time is the best gift a person can receive, and I greatly appreciate your reviews since you have obviously taken your precious time to not only read but also review my story. I am greatly inspired by your reviews. I think I will continue this story for as long as there are those out there to read it. I hope you enjoy, and please review; I enjoy writing, but a guy still needs inspiration. Thank you.


	3. The Eventide of the Crimson Rain

**Disclaimer:** I make no claim to the series, ideas, or characters of Full Metal Panic.  
  
**Author's Notes:** I want to once again thank all of you who have reviewed. Thank you, dave-d, for pointing out the mistake of my exceptionally long paragraphs. I promise that they were in perfect format before I submitted them. The server does something to format when it is submitted; I will try to fix this if at all possible. I know that this story is somewhat confusing, especially this chapter, but I am trying to explain as much of it in the story as I can without giving away a lot of the plot. If you are having a hard time following this story, please be patient, answers will be coming, and until then, I hope you can enjoy my story. As always, please leave a review if you find my story worthy of your time; it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.  
  
**The Deathbringer  
  
Chapter 3: The Eventide of the Crimson Rain**  
  
_By Adam Lakewood Copyright 2004  
_  
"Who am I? What is going on with me? Who are you? Answer me, damn it! Who the Hell are you? What do you want from me?!"  
_"What do you think I want with you? Who do you think I am?"  
_ "Karen? Are you Karen?"  
_"Do I sound like that sniveling little brat, you dip-shit?!"  
_ "Who are you?"  
_"Who do you think I am?"_  
"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking, would I?"  
_"So, you're a little smartass too, huh?"  
_ "Stop answering my questions with questions."  
_"What will you do if I don't?"_  
"What do you think I'll do?"  
_"... I get your point."_  
"Good. Who are you?"  
_"If you don't know, I shouldn't tell you. Next question."_  
"What do you want with me?"  
_"Funny how you haven't noticed me before now; you're getting soft on me soldier boy."_  
"I repeat my question: What do you..."  
_"The same thing you want from me."  
_ "Which is what?"  
_"If you don't know, I shouldn't tell you."  
_ "I see. Why does Karen want to harm me and Kaname?"  
_"Kaname, is that the name of that little bitch?"  
_ "I'm asking the questions. Why does Karen want to kill me and Kaname?"  
_"Because she doesn't like you; it was your fault after all."_  
"No, it wasn't! What do you mean by that?!"  
_"Shut up, it's my turn to ask some questions. What do you want with me?"  
_ "What do you mean?"  
_"I'm not here because I want to be; though, I must admit it has it advantages."  
_ "I don't know what you mean. I don't want anything from you. I don't even know who you are!"  
_"Of course you do. If you didn't, I wouldn't be here. You want something from me; I want to know what it is. What do you want from me?"_  
"I swear I don't know what you're talking about! I want you to leave me alone!"  
_"I wish I could, kid. Unfortunately, I can't go until you let me go. Also, you're breaking up inside. I am more capable of using you at this point than you are me. By, the way, ditch the bitch, she is only bringing you trouble."  
_ "What do you mean by all of that?! I wi..."  
_"Shut the fuck up! I know what you're thinking, so don't even mention it. Do not try to have a battle of logic with me when you have lost all sense of it. Come see me again when you find your weapon; then, and only then, may we have this battle. Stay alive, and for the time being, you had better get up before you lay there and drown; she'll be coming for you at midnight."  
_

* * *

The lifeless body of Souske Sagara was lying down by the beachside about three miles from the house. The rain was pouring down even harder in the form of a thunderstorm. The tide had come in minutes ago; this was obvious since Souske was lying inches below the water.  
_"Wake up!"_  
Souske's eyes flew open in surprise, and then took on the form of panic once he realized that he was underwater. Confusion washed over his mind as he struggled to find out where he was and why he was under water. His mind struggled most to make him move. It was as if the muscles in his body were gone. Then, it was as if all of his muscles had recovered all at the same time and exerted themselves. Souske went flying up out of the water. Not flying in the literal sense, but close to it. He had gone from a lying position under the water, to a jumping position about six feet above the water. His "jump" took him about an additional ten feet out to sea where he went under with a heavy splash as he landed in the water again.  
He came up with a loud gasp of breath and began swimming to the shore. When he reached the shore he crawled up onto the rocky beach and spit up a lot of salt water. Crawling was the only thing he could do now, for his muscles felt as if they were completely given out. He crawled a few more feet up onto the shoreline in order to make sure there was not a repeat of last time. It was night now, and sleep sounded like a very good idea to him despite his current location. His aching muscles could not agree with him more. He quickly toppled over onto his back and spread his arms out to his side. He started to catch his breath again before finally starting to be overtaken by the darkness of sleep. A few questions swarmed in his mind before he was taken into his slumber.  
"Where am I? What is going on? How did I do that? Where's Kaname? Is Kaname alright? Why can't I move? What time is it?"

* * *

As a result of the restless night before, it did not take long for Kaname to cry herself to sleep where she sat on the hardwood floor. Her sleep was disturbed by a loud crash of thunder followed by a bright streak of lightning. She startled awake with a slight shriek of surprise. When she woke up she was cold, very cold. The sun had not come out that day, so it had not warmed the mansion up, and it had only gotten colder since then. 

Kaname was still in her pajamas which did not help keep the cold chill from her. It was completely dark outside except for the brilliant glow of the moonlight. All of the lights in the mansion were out, probably due to a power outage. She could still see though thanks to the moonlight and the occasional cursed flash of lightning. She felt a cold breeze blow through the room that chilled her to the bone. She looked over to her right to see the front door standing open.

Souske had left it open when he went out into that condemning rain. The open door was a sign that he hadn't come back yet. She was glad that he wasn't there, especially after what happened earlier. But, a part of her still worried about him. He was not acting like himself at all. Something was wrong; she was scared.

Was she scared of Souske? No. Was she scared for Souske? Yes. She didn't know why, but she felt as if something bad were going to happen. Where was Souske? She looked over at the grandfather clock in the living area. It was 11:12. She didn't know why, but she wished Souske was there now more than ever.

She stayed curled up near the wall on the cold floor, jumping in surprise at every roar of thunder and crash of lightning.

The clock stopped ticking, and the sound of the rain went away. She looked over to the clock; the pendulum was still swinging, but there was no sound coming from it. She looked out the window; it was still raining and lightning, but she could not hear the raindrops on the roof or the thunder. She could feel her heart pounding fast. She could not hear her own rapid breathing. She closed her eyes and saw the most horrible image she had ever seen before.

Her own mutilated corpse was lying on the upstairs balcony. She was cut all over her body and her eyes were missing. They were instead replaced with bloody, shining holes of light. Her hair was horribly messed up and blood ran down her face where her eyes were once. It was like she was there standing above her own body. The body moved. The body looked up at her and began to move its mouth; the voice was that of a small girl much younger than herself. The voice was loud like a drum in her ear.

_"I've found you."_

Kaname screamed at the top of her lungs, but all was silent.

* * *

Souske was walking toward his mansion. He had been walking for the past hour, wondering how he had got so far away and didn't remember it. He had to find Kaname and apologize to her. He did not have much time left. There was a loud buzzing sound in Souske's head that was so loud that he felt as if it could split his brain. He fell down to his knees and clutched at his head in pain. He looked up to see that everything was in a reddish tint. The sight was not one that he enjoyed, especially since it made the rain look like blood. All of the sudden the buzzing stopped, and the red tint went away. Souske took his hands away from his head and looked around confused before standing.  
Souske heard the giggle of a little girl. He did not bother looking around; he knew there was no point in it; he would not find her. She always had a way of getting his attention. This time it was a ball.  
A blue and white beach ball bounced past him about ten feet away and began rolling back down the hill. Souske watched the ball as it rolled back down the hill. There was silence on the hill for a few seconds before his face took on a panicked expression. He quickly whirled around, clenched his fists and ran for the mansion.  
"Kaname!"  
Just a few seconds after he started running for the mansion, he heard a scream come from inside. It was Kaname's frightened scream. He did know what those last words a few seconds ago meant, but he knew that they could not be good. Those words pierced Souske like a sharp knife. He wasn't sure, but he had a good idea of what they meant.  
_"I've found her."_

* * *

"Kaname!"  
Souske had found renewed energy. He burst through the open door to see Kaname sitting curled up in the corner of the room screaming for her life. He quickly ran to her and grabbed her tightly.  
"Oh, God! I'm so sorry Kaname! I never meant to get you involved in this!"  
He pulled her trembling, screaming form close to him and began rocking back and forth. She almost immediately stopped screaming, buried her face into his chest, and started to cry very hard. It did not take long before this used up all of her energy, and she started to drift back into a slumber in which she still sobbed in her sleep.  
Souske knew what had happened. He knew exactly what she saw. He had seen the exact same thing a few years ago, except he was the reanimated corpse. Kaname must have caught on to what it meant quicker than he had. Nothing is scarier than knowing when you are going to die, and Kaname knew that she would not live through the night. The rain was becoming a sign of great despair.

* * *

Kaname woke up again to a slight creaking sound and the motion of moving back and forth. She felt that she was leaned up against something warm and felt something wrapped around her. It was a quilt, and she was thankful for it because of the cold. She could see the dancing of shadows across the hardwood floor in a red and yellow light which could only mean that the fireplace in the living area was burning. She shifted her eyes to the right to see the white shirt of Souske. She looked up at his face to see him staring harshly into the corner. He looked down at her slowly when he felt her stir in his arms. He looked back at the corner quickly and then back down at her.  
"Hi." he said in a somewhat depressed voice.  
"Hi." she replied to him.  
"I'm sorry I got you involved, Kaname. I never knew that I could get you involved. I..."  
He paused and hugged her tighter to him. Kaname reached out and took his hand in hers. She squeezed it gently and he returned the pressure. She looked up to see a tear roll from Souske's eye. She was utterly confused even though she had a horrible bad feeling about what was to come.  
  
"Souske, what are you talking about? Why are you... What is going on, Souske?"  
"I'm sorry, Kaname. I should have told you sooner, and I would love nothing more than to be able to tell you. But, we do not have the time. It is 11:57; it is almost midnight. But, I want you to listen to me."  
Souske looked back up at the little girl sitting in the corner of the room under the grandfather clock playing with a doll. Kaname looked toward the empty corner in which Souske was looking.  
"What is it, Souske?"  
His response was immediate. He had less than three minutes to explain what he could. There was no time, but he had to cover the main points of what was happening.  
_"Do not lie to her."_ said the little girl.  
"I will not lie to you."  
_"One of you are going to die tonight, I just haven't chosen who. 11:58.  
_ "One of us is going to die tonight."  
Kaname's eyes widened in surprise at Souske's statement. That was a very brash statement for Souske to make.  
_"You already know that neither of you will be able to escape me, so there is no use in running. I never had the chance, so why should you?"  
_ "We cannot escape her; she will get to us at midnight no matter where we are."  
"Souske, please stop, you're scaring me!"  
"Good. I meant to. I am scared, and you should be also. She will take one of us tonight. You are a good friend of mine, so you are a grand enemy of hers."  
"Souske, I..."  
"No, please listen, Kaname. I will do all I can to protect you. It will probably be in vain, but I must try. I am sorry for all the times that I made you mad or made you cry. I hope you will be able to forgive me. But, there is no time for it right now. I want to tell you..."  
_"11:59."_ said the little girl as she looked up at the clock.  
Souske nodded his head at her in acknowledgement. 

Kaname looked over into the corner that Souske was gesturing at. She saw nothing, but she felt something. It was pain, hurt, anger, sadness, betrayal, confusion, every emotion put into one. It was something truly horrible. She was snapped out of her confusion by Souske. Souske hastened his speech.  
"I'm glad that I met you, Kaname. You have never brought a dull moment to me for the time that I have known you. You have been that single beam of sunshine in my cloudy day, everyday. I woke up every morning with a smile because I knew that I would see you. I cannot bear the thought of waking up one morning and not being able to see you. I... I feel like I can do anything when I'm with you, Kaname. Whether it's catching a big fish, or... escaping from some... some terrible danger."  
She did not like the way that he was referring to the two of them in the past tense. Souske looked as if he had a sudden mood change. His look was now more determined than frightened or apologetic. He was once again a man with a mission.  
"I... We can escape terrible danger. I will not let anything happen to you, Kaname, no matter the cost. It is my mission, and it is now my personal agenda to protect you from harm. I will not let her take you from me! I will never let her! I will never..."  
_"Don't be so sure of that."_

The little girl's words were venom; that of which could bring a man to his knees with a simple usage. The words meant a lot more than one would at first think. But, now was not the time to ponder.

Kaname believed Souske. As unbelievable as what he was saying, she still believed him. She knew that Souske would never lie to her, and she had the idea that he was not at all crazy. She would have never believed her best friend about something like this, but for some reason, this was different. She believed Souske.

"Kaname, I..."

_"Time."_

The little girl's word rang as true as the sound of the grandfather clock striking midnight.

"Run! Upstairs!"

Kaname was confused as to why Souske was having her run up the stairs and not through the front door. She did not hesitate to ask why, for she knew that would prove truly costly. She did not know why she was running, or what she was running from, but she ran up the stairs as fast as she could. Finally, she reached the top of the stairs with Souske right beside of her. He was fast. Souske glanced quickly back at the stairs.

"Shit!"

Though she did not know the reason, Kaname was on an adrenaline rush. She was ready to go once Souske gave her the word. As if on cue, he did. He pointed to the metal door of the upstairs storage room.

"There, we can hide in there!" he shouted as he pushed her toward the storage room.

Kaname was not sure as to what his logic was, but she did as he said anyway. If he was sure that they could not hide from her, or whatever it was they were running from, why was he hiding them in a storage room? Now was not the time to ask questions. Kaname quickly ran into the storage room and turned around just in time to see Souske slam the door closed and lock it from the outside.

She quickly ran up to the door and peered through the small glass window of the metal door. The room was very small, full of junk, and did not have a window or exit except for the door that Souske had locked.

"Souske! What the Hell are you doing? Get in..."

Kaname was interrupted when she heard the laughter of a little girl. This scared her back a few steps from the door. That was definitely the laugh of a little girl; there was no mistaking it. The sound was not in her head; it was coming from outside the door. This had her frightened even more now that she knew that they were not alone in the house. Souske broke her train of thought from outside the door. She could still hear him plainly through the door.

"No! I will not let you take her! She has done nothing to you! If you want to get to her, you'll have to get through m..."

The lightning struck outside just in time to provide enough light so Kaname could see the quick, multiple splatters of blood on the small window of the steel door. She was horrified when she heard what sounded like a gurgling sound, something hitting the door, and then a thud on the ground outside.

"Souske! Souske!!" But, there was no answer from outside the door. No sound at all except for the sound of the rain beating against the mansion from the outside.

_"He must really love you, Kaname. He was willing to sacrifice himself in order to try to stop me from getting to you. He never had a chance. But, because he loved you so to sacrifice himself for you, I will let you live. Remember what he did for you."_

The words of a little girl ended as she felt a warm liquid form around her bare feet as it seeped from under the door. Kaname screamed before falling down to the floor kneeled over. She pounded the floor with her fist until she could no longer feel her hand. Crying was the only thing she could do for him now. Even in the end, he had ensured her safety. The rain continued to pour harder throughout the night as her tears did the same. She would never see Souske again; his time was up.  
  
The malicious rain was here to stay.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED


	4. The Dawn of the Mist

**Disclaimer:** I make no claim to the series, ideas, or characters of Full Metal Panic.  
  
**Author's Notes:** As always, I want to truly thank everyone who has reviewed. I never would have expected anyone to like my story, so I was not expecting many reviews, or at least not many good ones. But, surprises come unexpected. I am truly grateful to those who have reviewed my story. I would like to apologize that it has taken so long for me to update; I have just had a lot to do, and hardly any time to do what I enjoy doing. One of my major problems is that I had the entire story planned out except for this part. I had not given this part much thought beforehand, so I've had to write up this piece on the whim. Personally, I do not like this chapter, and I will understand if those of you who read it don't find it that enjoyable either. But, if you like this story, or if you don't, please review. I am as open to constructive criticism as I am encouragement and pats on the back. Well, at least I can almost guarantee that the next chapter will be better than this one. Also, before I close, I would like to think ShiniJekka for pointing out my misspelling of Sousuke's name in my earlier chapters; I have corrected them in this chapter. I want to thank all of those who read my story, and especially those who take the time to review my story. My encouragement lies in your enjoyment. Thank you.  
  
**The Deathbringer  
  
Chapter 4: The Dawn of the Mist  
**  
_By Adam Lakewood Copyright 2004_  
  
The storm had lasted all night and was still going on into the early hours of the morning. The storm originally promised to be a sign of impending disaster, and it held true to its promise. Much had happened during the day of the storm. There were arguments and misunderstandings. There were hard feelings and unspoken words. There were dreams and harsh reality. There was life and death.  
Kaname had been given the gift of being able to keep her life; unfortunately, Sousuke was not as lucky. Kaname was curled into fettle position, sobbing uncontrollably as she had been doing for the past six hours. Sousuke was lying outside of the door not being capable of movement as he had been for the past six hours. Sousuke Sagara had been officially dead for six hours.  
Sousuke had locked her in this storage room and stood out front attempting to protect her from something that she was still not sure as to what it was. He had given his life in order to protect hers. There were no exits in the room except for the door, and it was locked. She could not do anything, so she had plenty of time to think of this for the past six hours.  
The sun was starting to peak its way through the rain clouds and through the window of the door. This should have improved Kaname's mood, but it didn't; this was not something so menial that it could be helped with just a little bit of sunshine. The fact that yesterday morning was the last sunrise that she would be able to see with Sousuke was the last that would have ever occurred to her. Sousuke was the perfect soldier. He was capable of doing anything and surviving impossible odds. How could he be dead? He couldn't be dead!  
But, he was. This horrid fact troubled her more than anything. Of course, there were other things that bothered her. Is he really dead? Could she help him if she could get out? What happened to Sousuke? Who or what killed Sousuke? Why did she want Sousuke dead? Who was she? She sounded like a little girl. Why was she after her? Kaname couldn't take it anymore; she had to get out of here. Maybe Sousuke was still alive!  
Before, the room was pitch black, so she couldn't see a thing. Now, she could see a little bit. When she recomposed herself a little, she took a look around the room for something that may be able to break the small window. She looked through a couple of the dusty cardboard boxes before finding a metal candle holder. This would serve the purpose of breaking out the small window.  
Kaname walked over to door, and hit the window with all of her force. Nothing happened. This did not seem to be a good sign at all. Kaname steadied herself and took in a deep breath. She reared the candle holder back and swung once again with all of her might. This time the window cracked slightly; another swing did it in. The entire house was built with European design and thus, very strong in every aspect, even the windows. Now, she needed to unlock the door.  
She tried to reach through the small window to the lever outside, but her arm was too short. She needed to find something with reach. Kaname was finally able to find a broom leaned up against one of the corners of the small room.  
She placed the end of the broom under the latch outside the door and tried to lift upward. The latch was firmly in place and could not be easily budged. So, she positioned the handle under the latch, and pulled down on the other end. It started to budge a little but only got harder to budge the further it did budge. Finally, she grabbed onto the end of the broom and attempted to lay on it; thus, putting all of her weight into it. The latch budged a lot, but unfortunately the broom handle snapped. Kaname and the remains of the broom stick fell to the floor. This was not going very well at all.  
Hoping that either the latch had given way, or acting in a last ditch attempt to force the door open, Kaname rammed the door with her shoulder.  
The door budged open quickly. The door flew back until it hit something with a soft but forceful 'thud.' Kaname held her hands to her mouth, for she knew what it was that she hit. Even she was confused as to why she was disturbed by the door hitting what was in the way. Perhaps it was just the idea of a door hitting someone's body, regardless of what condition of life they were in. Perhaps it was evidence of what she had feared all along: that was Sousuke's body. Sousuke would not be lying there if he weren't dead. Sousuke was dead, and she needed to quit lying to herself.  
When she hesitantly exited the room she could see the body out of the corner of her eye, but she dared not look at it. But... what if he was still alive. She had to make sure.  
  
She looked over to her left at the body of Sousuke Sagara, her protector. His skin was an even mixture of the colors of crimson red and pale white. It was obvious by the pale skin and dried blood that he had been dead for a while. There were cuts all over his body, and his left leg was cut so deeply that it looked as if it was ready to fall off. There were hundreds of tears in his clothing, and there were bloody spots where there were cuts. He had died a very brutal death. Kaname turned her head back away from him with tears in her eyes. She sucked back a sob but was soon overcome with sorrow.  
She turned back to look at Sousuke. The tears came faster and her lower jaw began to quiver.  
"Sousuke?"  
There was no reply and his stiff silence made her tears flow even more.  
"S...S...Sousuke?"  
She quickly threw herself down in front of him and took him in her arms. He was cold to the touch; his warmth was no longer there. It had left him hours ago. She embraced him in her arms and leaned her head against his.  
"Come on, Sousuke. I know you're not dead. I still need you to protect me. You can't complete your mission and your promise to always protect me if you die now!" she said with a smile, hoping he would come around.  
He was still as lifeless as he was before. There was no sign of life anywhere in him. She repeated his name over and over, and shook him violently. His jaw came open as a result of the force of the shaking. This was not the dramatic resurrection that she was praying for. Out of the corner of her eye she could have sworn that she saw Sousuke's leg move. Of course it would move after being shaken, but this logic did not occur to her. Sousuke had to be alive. She picked up his cold wrist to check for a new pulse. There was none. She began to cry heavily. What she was hoping for was a fairy tale. In the fairy tales, the hero would always come back as soon as everyone thought they were dead and seemingly as a reaction from the heroine's tears. But, this was no fairy tale. This was the harsh blade of reality swinging full force by the pendulum of fate and time. This was going to be no happy ending. Sousuke was dead.  
"Please, Sousuke. You can't leave me now. I need you. I love you. I couldn't live with myself if I knew that you died protecting me. Please, Sousuke, come back to me. I don't know what to do without you. I'll be sad. You don't want me to be sad do you, Sousuke? I never got to tell you that I love you. I never got to see if you felt the same way. I never got to tell you about my family or my past. And, you didn't get to tell me about yours. T... there is still so much that we don't know about each other. You can't be dead. I need you, Sousuke. I need you with me."  
Sousuke was dead. He had died protecting her. He had cared for her so much that he gave his life to save hers. She loved him dearly, and would never forget what he had done for her.  
The rain would not let her forget.  
  
She had to let someone know of what had happened. Sousuke had given her the number in which she could reach Commander Kalinin if an emergency should arise. Sousuke had quickly written down the number and gave it to her only because he was required to, not because he felt she would need it. She accepted it only because Sousuke had to give it to her; she did not feel as if they would actually need it either. There would not be such an emergency if Sousuke was around. She never would have thought that she would be calling the number because of the fall of Sousuke.  
She hesitated as she punched in the numbers. How would she tell them about what happened? Who would she be telling it to? How they take it. Tessa, Kalinin, Kurtz, Melissa; how would they all take it? Would they blame her because he died protecting her? How would she explain to them what killed Sousuke? There was only one way to find out.  
Kaname pulled her composure together and called the number. The tone rang twice before it was answered by the rough voice of the German commander. He cleared his throat before speaking.  
"Good morning, Sagara. How goes your vacation? Have you been taking it easy like I told you to? ...hello? Sagara. Sergeant Sagara? Are you there?"  
Kaname could not believe it. Sousuke was on vacation and he hadn't told her. He had remained with her during his vacation. Sousuke had remained on duty protecting her when he should have been somewhere else. If he hadn't been with her, he may still be...  
Kaname couldn't bear the thought any longer. She tried to speak to the man on the other end of the line but could only manage a sob before she started crying again. The rain grew stronger as if to intentionally make her feel worse. Maybe it was in mock of her sadness. The kitchen phone fell to the floor as Kaname did the same. Kaname covered her face with her hands as her body was wracked with uncontrollable sobs. It had all happened so quickly, and she was nowhere near ready for it. Where there was sunlight warming the kitchen, a thick gray blanket covered the sunlight and cast its dreary tint across the room and all throughout the house. The rain had called in backup.  
  
The Mithril operatives were not ready for what they saw. Some were brought to tears, some were brought to the nauseate state of vomiting, and some were simply left speechless. This was definitely the goriest case of murder they had ever seen. The killer was ruthless and sadistic. He was also a highly trained professional. They were still baffled as to how highly trained a highly trained professional could be. Sousuke Sagara was by far one of the most highly trained professionals that Mithril had at their disposal. Who could have been as trained as to be able to bring down Sergeant Sagara Sousuke? This individual, whoever he was, was truly remarkable in close quarters combat. There were no signs of opposing struggle from the attacker; as a matter of fact, there was no evidence of an attacker. The only evidence was a bloody kitchen knife which had no fingerprints on it. This person was truly a professional of professionals. Even the only witness, Kaname Chidori, could not truly be considered a witness; fore she did not see the attacker, only the results of one.  
Despite their not being ready for what they were sent to do; the Mithril operatives went about their job efficiently. So efficiently, in fact, that it almost made Kaname sick. All these people saw was another dead distant team member. That was Sousuke Sagara, but it seemed that Kaname was the only one who knew that.  
Once all of the eight operatives regained their composure, it took only about five minutes to do an entire disemboguing clean-up of the area. There was no longer any blood, any signs of a struggle, or any body of Sousuke Sagara.  
Kaname, likewise, had to be moved to a different location. For once, she was given an option. She could be taken back to a Mithril base, a secure shelter of her choosing, or she could go to the place where Sousuke would be immediately buried. Kaname asked where Sousuke was going to be buried. Sousuke was one of the few that had the privilege of choosing where he was going to be buried on the occasion of his death. He had chosen to be buried at the graveyard of the Creedence Catholic Church in Denver, Colorado of the United States.  
Kaname was never one for going to funerals. The most recent memories were the ones that were most memorable. She did not want her last two memories of Sousuke to be that of him lying in a bloody mess on the floor, and lying in a pretty, wooden box dressed in ways that he would normally not be dressed in. She already had the earlier of the two as a final memory; she did not want the later.

Also, Sousuke had a lover at that church: Sister Meredith. Kaname did not want to face her. One, because of the sorrow that she would have to deal with again from someone else that loved Sousuke as much as she did, and two, she felt jealously toward Tessa for only having a crush on Sousuke; there's no telling how she would feel toward this person. Mostly, she did not want to see how she knew she felt in another person. She had enough sorrow to deal with on her own. She had enough sadness to deal with without having to be reminded of it. But, the rain was going to act as a friendly reminder of sorrow.

No, it would only be right for her to attend Sousuke's funeral. She owed him that much at the very least. Also, she remembered what Sousuke had said about him and Sister Meredith.

_"We did everything and talked about everything."_

That could mean that this Sister Meredith might know what happened to Sousuke. Sousuke had seemed to be so sure that it was not something of this world. He also talked as if this major secret of his had been haunting him for years. Maybe the secret and Sousuke's murderer had a link, and maybe Sister Meredith would know what it was.

She would go to Sousuke's funeral in hopes of getting some answers out of this Meredith person. She did not know what she would do when or if she found out any answers, but she couldn't just go back to her old life, and act like nothing had happened. But, what would she do if she did find out who Sousuke's murderer was? She would cross that bridge when she came to it. First, she had to get some answers that Sousuke was no longer capable of providing. She also needed to get away from this dreaded rain. She would once again visit America.  
  
Kaname had specifically requested to be sent there as quickly as possible. Her wishes were met, so she would be on the same transport plane that was transferring over Sousuke and his coffin.  
Commander Kalinin knew from the report of what Kaname had been through and obliged to her wishes. He knew first hand how badly Tessa had taken the news, and he knew that Kaname must have taken it much worse. He had two heart-broken women on his hands, and he felt as if he were stepping on eggshells when he was talking to either of them. He still could not bring himself to meet either of them face to face. He was having a bit of trouble dealing with it himself; Sousuke was like a son to him. He was not without his own sorrows.  
Kaname was the only passenger on the long flight. Of course, there were other Mithril operatives on the plane, but they were usually out of sight. The trip was lonely. She did not enjoy it at all. It gave her way to much time to think. She did need to try to cheer up a little if at all possible; she was making the Mithril operatives feel bad. It was quite obvious that Kalinin had told them to give her special treatment while she was on the plane with them.  
Kaname looked away from the window towards the front of the cabin when she heard the sliding door open for the fifth time in the past hour. The young man was becoming slightly annoying, but at least he was trying to be as kind and considerate as he knew how. This time he was back with a tray of steaming food. He came over next to her, pulled down the table on the other side of her, and placed the tray of food on it. Kaname did not feel like eating at all..  
"Uh... thank you, but I didn't request any food. That... is a lot of food. I wouldn't be able to eat anywhere near half of that anyway." Kaname said while looking at the rather large tray of food setting to the right of her.

She hadn't eaten for almost an entire day now, and the food did look real good. She was actually glad that the man had brought out the food. The young man looked at the plate of food, he looked at her, and then he smiled. He took in a deep breath before speaking.

"You're welcome, I know you didn't, I know it is, and I knew you wouldn't."

The young man took the seat next to her and began situating the food. He took in a deep breath of the smell of the food.

"But, I figured you must be getting really hungry; I know I was. So, I decided that I would cook some food for you and some for myself."

The man drew an imaginary line with one of the eating utensils.

"I can eat this much of it if I'm as hungry as I think I am, and then... Oh, my! It seems as if I have fixed too much! It would be such a waste of good food if it were not eaten. Suppose you could eat some of this delightful food so that way it does not go to waste?"

The man smiled at her as he offered her a spare plate and extra utensils. Kaname smiled at him. He had a very kind demeanor, and she knew that he was trying to cheer her up. He had been trying for the past couple of hours now, ever since the other guy gave up. She was indeed very hungry, so she accepted his offer. Kaname lifted her eyebrow at the thought of the man's odd logic.

"I see. You fixed too much food but happened to bring an extra plate and set of utensils?"

"It is just a coincidence."

Those words struck home. She had become very agitated with Sousuke for excessive use of those words. The image of Sousuke saying those words with the most sincere look on his face brought a smile to her face. But, the smile soon turned into a frown. Never again would she be able to here those words or see that face, or at least not from him. She was sorry for all of the times that she had become agitated at him for whatever reason. There was never a reason for her to get angry at such a caring person. A tear slowly made its way down her cheek as Kaname stared at the seat in front of her. The man obviously did not know what to do and almost seemed to panic a little.

He seemed to fear that he had done something wrong; he knew that he had to be careful about what he said or did around her.

"M... Miss Chidori. I'm sorry if I bothered you. You do not have to eat if you don't want to. I'm sorry if I have been bothering you too frequently. I won't come back in here again; you just call me if you need me, please. I..."

Kaname had to at least act a little bit more cheerful. If she didn't, the men on this plane would worry themselves sick. She had obviously almost given one a heart attack with just a single tear. These guys were obviously not trained to deal with a woman's feelings very well, or at least not how to react.

Kaname quickly wiped the tear from her eye and put back on a smile.

"Oh, no; you didn't do anything wrong. It's just me. There are just too many things that remind me of Sousuke."

"I see. But, that is only normal, miss. And, when I think about it; it also makes sense to want some time alone. I'll leave you be, Miss Chidori. If you need something, just call out; I'll be here momentarily. If you get bored just call for me; I wouldn't care to have some company to talk to anyway. Or, if you like, I'm sure the pilot would be more than happy to teach you how to fly a plane. You look to be a fast learner; I wouldn't doubt if you could learn to fly a plane over the span of several hours."

Kaname smiled at the man's politeness. He must have been the more charismatic of the people on the plane.

"Thank you." she said in a low voice to the man.

The man opened the sliding door to leave back to the cockpit but stopped in his place for a moment. He turned back around to look at her.

"Also, whatever you do, don't blame yourself for his death."

Kaname was kind of taken back by the man's words. She had been trying her best to let on like she did not blame herself, but it seemed as if this man was able to see through her "wall." Maybe he was mistaken. So, she attempted to falsely defend herself.

"I never said that I blame myself for what happened. What makes you think that I would blame myself?"

The man could see right through her "wall." But, he decided it would be best if he didn't argue with her about it. It might only make matters worse for her to feel as if people were feeling sorry for her.

"I know you don't, but I would still like to clear up any confusion that you may have concerning Sergeant Sagara's actions. I will start by being frank. You are a total stranger to me. I have heard your name around the base a couple of times, but until today I never even given your name a second thought. Still, I would gladly give my life for you. Not just me, but everyone else on this plane would also. We have no families, so our lives are, in a way, expendable. Any of us would absolutely love to go down in a flame of glory as Sergeant Sagara did: giving his life in order to save another. A Mithril soldier would want no other death more so than that kind. That is what we consider to be the most honorable passing."

The man's happy mood seemed to dampen as he talked. He looked down at the floor and took in a long breath before continuing.

"A soldier is aware that his life may end on any given day. So, he never makes plans ahead for the future. We may all die tonight, but if that is the case, it can be said that we would not be highly surprised. A soldier must be ready to forfeit his life at any minute, and the good soldiers are. Sagara was a good, no, great soldier. He will always be remembered by everyone for what he did. Every soldier would like to go down the way he did, but not every soldier is brave enough to go through with it. What I'm trying to say is this: I understand why you are saddened by his passing. It is only natural. But, you should not feel pity for him. Instead you should feel proud of him as a means of supporting his pride. Sagara wouldn't have had it any other way, and I would say that he was proud to give his life for you."

The man quickly put on another smile and looked back over at Kaname. I bothered him when he saw another tear rolling down her cheek, but he was relieved a bit when he saw the smile on her face. He carefully reached down to her and wiped the tear from her eye.

"A soldier or not, a man would have to be crazy to not want to protect a nice, pretty, young lady like you."

Kaname smiled up at the man before her. His words did actually make her feel better. She was now starting to realize more about the soldiers of Mithril. A crack of thunder shook her out of her train of thought. It was as if the treacherous rain had followed her.

The man looked out one of the windows and could indeed see a good amount of rain outside. Just a few seconds later, an intercom in the cabin came on speaking of a code blue 71. The man nodded his head in acknowledgement to no one in particular. He looked back down at Kaname who was looking up at him with a questioning look on her face.

"Code blue 71: travel delay due to unfavorable weather conditions. It seems as if we will have to land, for the plane cannot go on through this storm. This must be a pretty bad storm in order to hinder our pilot's abilities to get us to our destination."

Kaname frowned at the man's statement. If only he had any idea as to how bad this storm was. The man looked back down to see Kaname frowning. He decided to give her more details in hopes of relieving her of some of her worries.

"Not to worry, though. It will only delay us for a few hours until we can get a convoy ready to head over to the church. We are currently in America right now; we will be able to drive the rest of the distance. We will call for someone from the church to come and pick you up; it will be much more appropriate for you to ride in that fashion than with a military truck convoy. It will take a few hours for someone from the church to arrive considering the distance and the weather. Until he or she arrives, we will find a suitable motel for you to rest in for the time being. That is alright with you isn't it?"

The man looked at her, waiting for her approval. Kaname looked up at the man and smiled. It made her feel good that she was being treated so kindly.

"Yes, of course. That is fine."

"Okay. That is great. We will probably be landing down in the next fifteen minutes of so. When we land, you will be taken to a motel, and a guard will also be sent with you. You will have enough time to do what you want and get some sleep if you wish before the person from the church arrives. Once he or she arrives, they will take you to the Creedence Catholic Church, or a place in that general location. I must leave you now; call for me if you need something."  
The plane shook slightly from a bit of turbulence. If they did not land soon, the storm would force them to.

The room was very dark, but she knew where she was. This was still only a part of her training. She focused all of her senses in order to find any source of the test. There was none, meaning that this test must be run by a computer. She was still not intimidated; she was ready for anything and could handle anything.  
The woman looked to be in her mid twenties. She was of average height for a woman. She had long black hair that came down to her mid back. She had sky blue eyes that almost seemed to glow. She was clad in tight black leather from neck to toe. In a word; she was stunning.  
Without warning the lights came back on to reveal two mounted guns on opposite walls of the large, grey, concrete room. The woman was still unfazed by this sight. Nor did she seem in the least bit unnerved by the sounds of the guns suddenly booting up into execution mode.  
There was no warning when the guns immediately began firing off shots. Their combined shots must have been at least two-hundred per second, all aimed directly at the woman. In almost the blink of an eye the woman was at least fifty feet away from where the two guns were originally firing at her. She was at her next position before the drone guns could even retrain on her. She opened her hand to reveal a single .22 caliber round: the same kind that the guns were firing at her. It was still smoking from the heat of the gun in which it was fired from less than a second ago. The woman quickly slung the bullet back at one of the guns before it could retrain its sights on her. The bullet whizzed through the air at almost the same speed in which it left the gun, and entered back into the nozzle. The gun exploded from the jam and mechanical malfunction caused by the reentry of the bullet. The second drone gun began firing upon the woman. She gracefully sidestepped the first few bullets before entering into a number of cartwheels and front flips toward the last remaining. The bullets maintained a perfect pattern on both sides of her, but none of which were able to reach her. The woman stopped abruptly to the left of the gun, and before it could retrain on her new position it was ripped off of its mount by the woman's grip. All that was left in its place was a mess of sparking wires as the woman dropped the four-hundred pound gun to the floor from her single hand.  
The woman let out a sigh of exhaustion, wiped the sweat from her face, and turned to meet the man that would be coming through the sliding metal door in a few seconds.  
The door slid open as the larger man that the woman knew so well walked through the door. He was holding a clipboard and a file folder in his hands. He walked forward with a smirk on his face.  
"Well, you actually handled that better than we thought you would. You truly are perfect, aren't you?"  
"Why, thank you for the empty flattery! As far as being perfect, you wouldn't have it any other way, would you?"  
"That is true. But, I would watch the way you talked to me if I were you. By the way, how did you know I was coming; you seemed to be expecting me."  
"I could hear you coming."  
"You could hear me coming down the hall through a soundproof room?"  
"Yes."  
"That is right. Of course you could. You are perfect after all. As much as I would love to talk, I need to get down to business."  
The woman looked obviously amused, yet annoyed.  
"So, who do you want me to kill this time?"  
"You had better watch it. But, yes, I do want you to kill someone, or more like some people."  
The man held out the file folder that he was carrying. The woman took it and began looking through the papers within. She nodded her head in acknowledgement as she quickly read through the files. She took more time to look at the two pictures of the two women that were to be killed. The first was of a blue haired girl who looked to be in her late teens. The other was of a red haired girl with green eyes who looked as if she were in her early twenties.  
"Your targets of immediate execution will be Meredith Rily and Kaname Chidori. We have reason to believe that Meredith Rily may know details about our plan, and Kaname Chidori's powers as a Whispered are growing at phenomenal rates. We are believe that she may soon find out about our plans if her powers continue growing and also if she comes into contact with Meredith Rily. There have been arrangements for Chidori to be taken to the location of Rily. Both of these two are under the protection of Mithril as being Whispered. But, Kaname Chidori's protector met his demise early yesterday morning, so taking the both of them will be no problem for you. Kill anyone who gets in your way. It may be best to attack as soon as the both of them are together, but you may do use whatever means you wish. Either way, I want the both of them dead within the next twenty-four hours. These are your orders, Ace."

TO BE CONTINUED


	5. The Calm of the Storm

**Disclaimer:** I make no claim to the series, ideas, or characters of Full Metal Panic. But, I do make claim to the characters Sister Meredith Rily, Kevin Jacobs, and Aceria(Ace).  
  
**Author's Notes:** As always, I want to thank all of you who have reviewed my story. I am getting a lot of good reviews, so that must mean that this is a halfway decent story. Some of you may notice that my chapters may look a little different. This is because the browser is finally starting to accept my documents for the most part. I am very pleased with this because now the formatting is better than before. It is still not as good as I would like it, and it is still not accepting my formatting completely, but I am still pleased with what it is accepting, or at least what I can edit. The quick edit is trying its best to work around my format in order to at least mess it up a little bit. But, the way I look at it is that if it can work around my format, my format can work around it. I would like to apologize for the last chapter not being all that great. I hope that this chapter will make up for it a little bit. The plot is moving along a bit more in this chapter, and there is quite a bit more action. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. As always, I appreciate people reading my story, and I appreciate it even more when people review my story so that way I know what they think. Writing is my enjoyment, and I like knowing that my enjoyment is pleasurable to others. I hope you enjoy my enjoyment. Thank you.  
  
**The Deathbringer**  
  
**Chapter 5: The Calm of the Storm**  
  
_By Adam Lakewood Copyright 2004  
_  
Kaname had almost forgotten exactly how different the American motels were from the Japanese. Everything about the motel was different, and she wouldn't have known what to do if she hadn't already lived in America before.  
  
She had just got finished with her shower. She was standing in front of the mirror brushing her hair when there was a knock at the door. She quickly threw a towel around herself and made her way toward the door.  
  
"Just one second." she called back at the door while she walked towards it.  
  
She looked through the peep-hole of the door. It was Daniel Monday, her guard. She opened up the door and was almost knocked off balance by a strong gust of wind followed by a good amount of rain that was blowing in. He was soaked head to two, and the rain was bouncing off of him like he were standing underneath a sprinkler. She could barely hear him over the howling of the wind. The storm was getting relentless. The man pretty much had to yell in order to be heard. He held out a cell phone toward her.  
  
"Here you are, ma'am. I was told to give you this in case you need to make any phone calls. It defeats taps, and is a secure line. You may use if freely."  
  
"Thank you very much. I was just now wanting to..."  
  
Kaname stopped when she saw his eyes slowly make their way down to look at the top of the towel. Kaname smirked. Normally this would have displeased her to no end, but it made her feel relieved a little to know that the soldiers of Mithril were still human.  
  
"Adjust you eyes, soldier!"  
  
He quickly shook his head and looked above her head, daring not to make eye contact. He blushed to the point to where he looked as if his head were ready to explode.  
  
"Ma'am! Yes, ma'am! Please forgive me; I do not know why I did that! I meant nothing by it. Please, excuse me."  
  
Kaname was forced to stifle a slight chuckle before speaking to the man's hastily retreating figure.  
  
"Don't worry about it. I didn't know the storm had become this bad. You can come in if you want to. It's much warmer and... dryer in here."  
  
The guard turned back around to look at her. Something like a smile crept into the corner of his mouth: a welcome change to his solid, stoic face.  
  
"Your kindness is much appreciated, miss. But, I can complete my duty to better effect if I were to remain out here. Besides, someone has to be on the lookout for the person coming from the church. You may wish to get some rest since the person may be here in a few hours."  
  
"Well, if you insist. I just figured I would make the offer."  
  
"Yes, ma'am."  
  
Kaname closed the door behind her and placed the phone on the table in her room.  
  
She was feeling somewhat tired since she had not received much sleep in the past few nights. She finished combing out her hair before changing into her sleepwear and retreating to the welcoming bed. Thoughts of Sousuke were still on her mind, but despite this fact, sleep still came quickly to her. She was very exhausted. The time was only a little after 7:00 pm, but with her lack of sleep and the twelve hour time difference, it felt a lot later than that to her. Despite the storms attempts to keep her awake, she still fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

Kaname was awakened by a knock at her door. She groggily looked up from her pillow at the clock. The time was 3:19 am. She had slept for about eight hours, but the aftereffects of the deep slumber were still with her. She stumbled over to the door and looked through the peephole. It was too dark for her to see, but she was still able to make out a figure. Actually, it looked like two figures. She opened the door, assuming that at least one of them was Daniel. Her assumptions were correct.  
  
Daniel stood near the doorway with a taller man to his left. The taller man was rather tall and thin. He looked to be an American. He was clothed in what looked like a pair of motorcycle boots, a pair of black jeans, a white t-shirt, a heavy, black, leather trench coat, and a pair of fingerless leather gloves. He wore a large silver cross necklace around his neck. He had long brown hair that came down to the bottom of his neck. He had a neatly trimmed goatee and mustache with matching sideburns. He had a perfect tan, perfect skin, and a body that could appeal to any woman. Obviously, the man worked out constantly and made sure to the perfection of his appearance, even at 3:30 in the morning. It was obvious that the man took great pride in his incredible appearance since he looked like a male from an American soap opera. Kaname noticed that the man seemed to take somewhat of a notice to her appearance as well.  
  
Daniel was the one to speak first.  
  
"May we come in?"  
  
"Oh, yes, of course! I'm sorry."  
  
Daniel and the other man walked into the room out of the rain. Kaname walked into the bathroom to fetch a few towels for the two men to dry off with. The man noticed Kaname come back from the bathroom carrying the towels. He looked over at Daniel and nodded.  
  
"You may leave now, Sergeant Monday. Inform the others that they may also leave now that I have finally arrived. I appreciate you staying with this young lady while I was caught up in the rain."  
  
"No problem at all, Father. I needed a break anyway."  
  
The two men slightly laughed. Daniel looked back over at Kaname.  
  
"Thank you, ma'am, but I and the rest of the team must be going. But, first, let me introduce you to Father Kevin Jacobs of the Creedence Catholic Church. He will be your escort to the church. I will let him fill you in on the other details. It was a pleasure meeting you, ma'am."  
  
The man saluted, turned and left out the door, closing it behind him. As soon as the door closed, the voice of Daniel barking orders could be heard from outside the door, in a rather crude and vulgar fashion. Father Kevin smiled slightly and let out a slight chuckle.  
  
"I love to listen to them when they think no one is." he said as he took the towel from Kaname and began drying his hair.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"You're very welcome, Father."  
  
"Glad to know, Daughter."  
  
Kaname looked at him strangely. She had never expected that kind of response.  
  
"Yeah, it sounds kind of funny; doesn't it: me calling you Daughter?"  
  
"Yes, Father, it kind of does."  
  
"Well then, if you don't call me your father, I won't refer to you as my daughter. At least I would hope you aren't my daughter; if you are it means that I must have messed up badly somewhere."  
  
Both laughed lightly at the joke he made. Kaname noticed that this man was not exactly what she had imagined a priest to look like.  
  
"Just call me Kevin. Deal?"  
  
He extended his hand out towards Kaname. Kaname looked at his hand oddly for a moment before finally shaking his hand. She smirked at him slightly before speaking.  
  
"Okay, Kevin. Then you can just call me Kaname."  
  
He smiled at her as he pulled his hand away from hers.  
  
"Good. Are you hungry? I am very hungry, and I have a pizza in my car that I would gladly share with you."  
  
"Yes, thank you. That would be great."  
  
"Good. I will fill you in on what exactly is happening while we eat. You already know most of what is happening, so I will inform you on some of the minor details that either you don't know, or that Mithril doesn't want you to know. I'll be back in a moment."

* * *

Fifteen minutes and half a pizza later, the two were in good conversation.  
  
"So, you're not really a priest?"  
  
"Well, not exactly the kind that you may know about. I'm not a preacher, if that's what you're asking."  
  
"So, you do work for the church?"  
  
"No, I don't work for the church; I work for God."  
  
Kaname smirked a little bit at the man's response.  
  
"Then, exactly what tangible, earthly group do you work for?"  
  
"I serve God's work through God's military."  
  
"Which military is that exactly?"  
  
"That would be Mithril."  
  
"I should have seen that coming."  
  
"Perhaps. Mithril is the only military organization that focuses on someone other than themselves. Mithril is under hard pressure trying to protect the all of the Whispered, but they are still managing. The higher- ups in Mithril believe that you will be safe at the church. I will take you with me back to the church once the rain lets up a little and the roads clear up; the bridge is currently flooded. Also, it seems as if it were God's doing to have me with Mithril. I am also assigned to protect another one of the Whispered. Her name is Sister Meredith Rily. She is the one that sent me to get you. She has a knack for being able to sense those that share the same gift that she does."  
  
"So, Sister Meredith is also a Whispered?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"And, you are to protect her?"  
  
"That is right."  
  
"That must be a hassle. I know for a fact that Sousuke had a hard time protecting me."  
  
"Don't worry about it. It is well within the limits of my abilities. Don't forget, I have been given a gift from the Lord to be able to do this specific task."  
  
"Have you ever had to protect Sister Meredith from anyone?"  
  
"Yes, on many occasions."  
  
"Is it hard for you to kill people, being a man of God and all?"  
  
"Not really. As long as I remember that I am doing it for the sake of God's Gifted."  
  
"I see. Do you enjoy it?"  
  
Kevin almost choked on his bite of pizza over that last question. He raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
"Killing people?!"  
  
Kaname laughed slightly at his misunderstanding.  
  
"No, I meant do you enjoy taking care of the Whispered... or, God's Gifted?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I misunderstood your question. Yes, I do enjoy it. I find it a great pleasure to be able to be around God's Gifted. You and Sister Meredith must be very special people in order for Him to have given you such a gift."  
  
Kaname blushed at his response.  
  
"Well... uh... thank you very much. You refer to her as Sister Meredith, but you do not wish to be referred to as Father; why is that?"  
  
"Sister Meredith is a nun, and thus, deserves such a title. The reason for me is much different. Before I received God's calling to join with Mithril, I was pretty much ignorant to the Lord's purpose for me and was still trying to figure it out. During that time before the Calling, I was pretty much 'hired muscle' for the Vatican in Rome. The Vatican has been known to use some 'secret force' in order to prove their opinions or deal with opposition to the church. I was one of their main men for those ordeals. They had me fooled into thinking that I was doing the bidding of God. That is until I was saved by a Mithril operative. Now, to answer your question: Sister Meredith has been serving God for almost ten years. What I considered serving the Lord was actually the very essence of sin itself. I have been trying to redeem myself ever since I have left the service of the Vatican. I am given the title of Father by Holy Right. But, I see the title as something that must be earned with service to the Lord, and as of now, I have done more false service to Him than truth. So, I do not deserve the name."  
  
"I think I understand."  
  
Kaname looked solemnly out the window at the rain. The rain reminded her of Sousuke. That was mostly because it had been raining like this when all of those horrible things had happened, and Sousuke had... But, that was one of the last things that she needed to think about right now. She felt all day long as if she had to expend all of her will in order to be able to keep from bursting into tears at any passing second. She could only see faint, neon glows through the rapid moving blur caused by the water coming down the window. She really wished that it would stop raining. It seemed almost as if the rain had followed her. She did not appreciate it at all.  
  
"Normally, I love the rain. But, I hate this rain. It is not of God." said Kevin as he joined Kaname at the window.  
  
This had Kaname's full attention for the moment. It was impossible for anyone to feel the same hatred toward this rain than she had, but could this Kevin person possibly feel what she was feeling from it.  
  
"What exactly do you mean?'  
  
"Well, it's the rain. This rain came out of nowhere, and... I just don't like it, at all. This is not a cause of the good Lord. This is the dark rain of misfortune. This is the unholy storm that only promises pain, suffering, and agony to those caught up in it. It seems as if this rain has stretched over the expansion of states; we will have to be careful."  
  
Kevin's insight on the rain pierced Kaname like a knife. She hadn't quite thought of it that way, but it was no coincidence that she, Sousuke, and a man of God would all have bad feelings about the rain. She wanted to ask questions about his insight, but she did not want to sound worried about it. She failed miserably in that aspect.  
  
"So, exactly what is the cause of this rain?"  
  
She accidentally let her voice crack while asking that question. She now had to fight even harder to keep back her tears. The man looked at her almost sympathetically, almost as if he knew what she was feeling.  
  
"I would have to think it would be caused by whatever brought it in to begin with."  
  
Kaname had a pretty good idea as to what he meant by that, but she had to be sure.  
  
"Who... or, uh, what do you think brought in the rain?"  
  
"Who is right. It is a person, but of what world, I'm not sure. If I had to make an educated guess, I would guess that it was the same person who delivered Sagara his demise."  
  
This was not improving Kaname's mood at all, but it was definitely helping with her "investigation" of who it was who killed Sousuke. To ponder on this topic made Kaname feel as if her heart were being torn to pieces. She may not have a chance like this to gather this kind of insight, so she pressed forward.  
  
"Well, who do you think it could have been that killed..."  
  
Kevin let out a sigh before taking another drink of his water. He knew what he had to say would be unbelievable to anyone except a true believer, but this girl needed direction as to what was going on, and he was not going to be the person to lie to her. The truth may hurt in the present, but the future can be hurt worse with a lie; he was a walking example of this.  
  
"I don't expect you to believe me, but I have never told a lie in my life, and I will not start now. Please try to conceive what I am going to tell you. Sousuke Sagara was not killed by an average person. This person was not someone of this world at all. Sousuke was killed by something that he would have never stood a chance against in the first place. I have heard the reports and I know that Sagara was not a man who could be brought down by man. Also, the way he was slashed up was not in a normal killing fashion, it was a means of punishment. Someone not of this world wanted Sousuke dead. And, I also believe that..."  
  
Kevin looked over to see Kaname looking away from him out the window. Her body was shaking violently, and she started sobbing when she heard him stop talking.  
  
"... this would be a good place to stop."  
  
"S...S...She was only a little girl."  
  
Kaname was silent after informing him on this part of what she had experienced. Maybe she was talking to anyone who would believe her instead of stating a fact.  
  
Kevin walked over to where Kaname was sitting and put his hand on her shoulder as if to suppress her shaking.  
  
"I'm sorry, darling. I shouldn't have said all of that just yet, but it's been bothering me too. I..."  
  
Kaname turned around to him quickly, tears streaming down her face. She took in a quick, jerky, breath before speaking to him. Her words came out more in the form of sadness and anger more than kindness.  
  
"You know nothing of how bothersome it is! It bothers me more than you could ever understand! I was there! I know what happened, and I can't tell anyone because no one will believe me. I was in the closet that Sousuke locked me in! I was there to hear his last words that he shouted to a little girl! I heard the little girl laugh at his futile attempts! I even heard sounds of his death: the cutting, the screaming, the gashing, the giggles, everything! I felt his warm blood cover my feet! I would love nothing more than to be able to tell everyone, but no one would believe me! No one would..."  
  
Kaname threw herself at the tall man before her. She could not hold back her pain anymore. It all came out in one large flood of emotion. She wrapped her arms around his torso tightly and buried her head into his chest. Through her crying and sobbing, Kevin had a rough time keeping a hold on her. He had not flinched or moved from his position. He was not surprised by anything that she said or did. He had to go through this many times before. 

This was the worst part of being a man of God: being there to help His wounded children. He knew that this would not have been so hard for her if she weren't one of the Whispered. Because of that, she had been able to hear the supernatural killer of Sousuke Sagara. He cringed at the thought and of what the little girl must have said to her knowing that she would be heard. He knew it was a gift, but he also had to wonder sometimes why the Lord would give such a painful gift. Now was one of those times. He took no great pleasure in this aspect of his job, he knew the emotions all too well, but fortunately, he sometimes knew how to help others deal with them. That is what he would try to do now.  
  
He pulled her trembling form tighter to himself and began stroking her hair. He hated seeing people like this. He just wished that he could take all of her pain upon himself. He was at least ready for the harshness of this world. He bent his head down and gave her a comforting peck on the top of her head. He found himself having to fight back a tear or two, himself. He knew that because the Whispered were quicker to hone in on other peoples' emotions, they were more apt to take them more harshly themselves. He had spent many a restless night trying to comfort Sister Meredith in this same way. Perhaps he knew the emotional trauma that the Whispered had to go through better than anyone. But, all of the experience in the field wouldn't have made doing this a bit easier.  
  
"I know, kid, I know. I know how horrible it is, but I believe you. I know more of what you're saying than anyone will. I wish I could take your pain away, but that is something that you will have to get rid of yourself. I wish I could say that everything will be alright, but how could I say that? You... You really loved him, didn't you, kid?"  
  
He felt her quivering form nod rapidly in acknowledgement while trying to fight off a new wave of tears to no avail.  
  
"I know you'll miss him for a long time. You may even be sad for a long time over him. I knew him personally myself, but I won't be sad over his passing. I'll tell you why I won't. He died protecting one of God's Gifted. He died protecting you. I know where he will be going and what salvation that has gained him. Just by doing that, he has done more for this world than an entire generation of people ever will. I now hold him in the deepest respects. It may have been tragic the way he went from this world, but his sacrifice has done him more benefit than ten lifetimes could have. As long as you never forget him, he will live on in your heart; he will never be truly gone."  
  
It took a few minutes for Kaname recompose herself. She had finally stopped crying and rubbed the tears out of her eyes. Noticing that she was making a motion of trying to sit up, Kevin removed his arms from around her and helped her sit up. She was now feeling slightly embarrassed of herself for crying on a stranger's shoulder and had to make sure to that she was completely recomposed before she could look at him again. She made sure to rub her eyes of the tears until they were sore. She really liked this man; if she didn't like him then she really appreciated him. His few words had helped her more than the entire days' thinking had done for her. Kevin reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Hey, you alright, kid?"  
  
Kaname rubbed her eyes before turning around to look at him. It was quite evident that she was embarrassed.  
  
"Yeah. I'm fine, now. Thank you. I'm sorry. I don't know why I did that; you haven't done anything to deserve my sudden mood swings."  
  
Kevin wafted his hand through the air dismissively.  
  
"Ah, don't worry about it! I'm glad I could help you get that out of your system."  
  
"Thank you for your kindness. You really are a nice person; not many people can be as comforting as you, or helpful. But, I still feel bad for making you go through that; I know that there's no guy out there that would ever want to do what you just did: comforting a woman during a time of distress, that is."  
  
"Well, thank you. But if you truly feel that what I did was one of the kindest things in the world, you have it all wrong. I would call that common courtesy. But, if you feel truly that much in dept to me, I just may have to have you work it off."  
  
Kaname smiled slightly at the man's reply. He seemed to be a man of many talents: protector, holy man, psychiatrist, and jester. She was slightly surprised when she saw the man reach into his pocket. He pulled out two coins and flipped them to her. It took her by surprise, so she was barely able to catch them.  
  
"I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything, so now you can do me a favor. I'm comfortable, I'm thirsty, and I don't feel like getting up off of my lazy butt in order to go to the vending machine; it's too far of a walk. Go get me one would you?"  
  
Kaname smiled again at him. He certainly had a way of making people feel good. Out of the oddest of ways, he was making her feel good by having her get him a beverage. So far, this man had been the single ray of sunshine in her cloudy day.  
  
"Yeah, sure thing. I'd be happy to. But, don't expect this often."  
  
Kaname waved her finger playfully at him. Kevin let out a rather good laugh. He was glad to see that she wasn't as sad as she was before. He sneered at her mockingly.  
  
"Well, fine. Be that way! I would like some apple juice; if they don't have any then you pick for me."  
  
"Got it." she said as she opened the door.  
  
The gust of wind almost blew her down. The rain blowing in already had her somewhat wet, and the sidewalk was not covered by anything to shield from the rain in any way. Kevin almost died laughing when he saw the look on her face.  
  
"Oh, I forgot to mention that I don't want to get wet again."  
  
He found this absolutely hilarious and expressed this through laughter. Kaname gave him the evil-eye.  
  
"Oh, I see how it is! You just want me to go get it so that way you don't have to go out in rain; am I right?"  
  
"Yep, you got it!"  
  
Kevin was right. It was a decent walk to the vending machine, and a decent walk back. Kaname was soaked from head to toe and felt as if she were swimming through a pool of water rather than walking through the rain. All of this for a can of generic apple juice. She would let Kevin have it when she got back to the room.  
  
On her way back to the room, she saw a woman standing a few meters from her door holding what looked like a broom from that distance. Upon closer examination, the woman was much stranger than Kaname would have expected from someone standing out in a storm. She was strange enough for being out in this weather going after apple juice. The woman held her broom behind her back as if to conceal. The woman looked to be in her mid-twenties. She had black hair and blue eyes. The oddest thing was that she was dressed in black leather. This definitely struck Kaname as odd, especially with what had been going on in the past few months. If Kaname were there, he would have already marked the woman as a terrorist and held her for interrogation.  
  
"Are you Kaname Chidori?"  
  
Kaname definitely found this to be odd. She had learned a lot from Sousuke, among other things, a person that you have never seen should not know you by complete name. Sousuke's suspicious nature had obviously rubbed off on Kaname. Normally she would have responded with a confused 'yes.' But, Sousuke had taught her better.  
  
"Who wants to know?" she asked almost challengingly.  
  
"Your response is confirmation enough. I'm sorry, but I must kill you."  
  
The woman pulled her weapon from behind her back. It wasn't at all a broom, but instead a combat ready spear. Not really an exact, but what she noticed to be a naginata: an ancient Chinese polearm used during the battles of the dynasties. Sousuke had informed her as to the difference when she called it a spear, looking at the picture in the textbook. And, just like Sousuke: with every correction came a brief history lesson. The naginata that the woman had in her possession looked particularly vicious. The blade was long and curved with a riveted edge to it. It looked brand new and as if it was specially made for this purpose. The sight and words of the woman send a sharp chill up Kaname's spine.  
  
For some reason, seeing a woman in black leather with a spear in the middle of the pouring rain frightened her more than if she were to see a large man in a tuxedo with a very big gun. It was something about the woman's eyes: they looked emotionless, empty, and hollow. Staring into those eyes reminded her of the crow. It was that feeling again. The feeling that she could get lost dwelling into those eyes. The eyes that promised nothing but trouble to those who were brave enough to ponder the meaning. The fear was also from the woman's unsaid confidence in her ability. Even someone as fearsome as Gauron had backup and plenty of weapons when he had captured her. This woman was going to kill her by herself and without the use of a firearm. Could she know that Sousuke wasn't there?  
  
Kaname would have felt much safer if only Sousuke were here with her. She felt completely defenseless and vulnerable without Sousuke. Kaname found support in Sousuke, and now her foundation was gone. All that was left was the fragile, crumbling structure that had depended on it. Sousuke would have been ashamed of her if he were there to witness her weakness. That thought alone was enough to enforce the unstable structure that was Kaname Chidori.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about? Who are you? Why do you want me dead? Who sent you?"  
  
The woman smirked sadistically at Kaname. She looked around a little bit before deepening her smile. Then she spoke. Her voice was oddly melodic; almost what she would have considered being angelic.  
  
"Like I said, you must die tonight. I normally would not have chosen you as a target, and I must say that you were an unexpected target of mine. Trust me; it is as much of a surprise to me as it is to you. Normally, you would already be dead, but I feel sorry for you, especially since you haven't done anything to provoke my employer's wrath. Since I do feel sorry for you, I will answer your final questions. My name is Aceria. But, you can know me as Ace; everyone else does. I am a professional assassin for my employer. As far as why you are wanted dead, I'm not sure myself. My employer said that he fears your power as a Whispered. Yours and some other woman named Meredith. He says that you and Meredith's powers are growing tremendously and need to be exterminated immediately before you start to possess a threat to him. I don't understand it; normally he loves the Whispered."  
  
Kaname was now thoroughly confused. She never knew that the powers of the Whispered could spread beyond the knowledge of black technology and the telepathic link to other Whispered. The confusion was only adding to her growing anger.  
  
"What the hell do you mean!? I don't have anymore powers than I did months ago. Besides, I would never think about threatening anyone with my powers. Hell, I don't even like them; I never asked for them! Who is your employer?! Why is he targeting me and Meredith alone?"  
  
"I am not at liberty to reveal the person, but since you are going to be taking the answer with you to the grave, I'll just say that it's someone you know. I'm sorry, but I can't talk with you anymore. I promise to make this quick."  
  
The woman now known as Ace twirled her weapon into an attack position and took one step forward, but would not advance any further.  
  
The door to Kaname's room went flying off the hinges at an incredibly fast speed. It hit Ace with such force that it knocked her a few feet to the ground and bounced back a few feet off of her while vibrating from the force of the impact.  
  
Kevin was surprised that the woman was still alive, let alone conscious and getting back up. He had kicked the door with all of his might in order to render the woman unable. He had heard the entire conversation while standing at the door looking through the peephole. This person was going to kill Kaname and Sister Meredith, but he could not allow this to happen. Seeing that the woman was hardly fazed by his mighty blow, he knew that this was a battle that he couldn't win. It would be best to run away.  
  
Kevin was much quicker on foot than anyone that Kaname had met before. He had come sprinting through the doorway towards her and grabbed her by the hand and was now running around the corner of the building. Obviously, Kaname was not fast enough for his liking, so he had taken it upon himself to sweep her off of her feet and carry her. Oddly enough, this did not slow him down, and he was still moving much faster than she ever could have.  
  
He stopped and set her back down once he thought they had lost the assassin. He leaned against the wall to catch his breath even though he did not sound at all too winded for the exertion that he had been doing. This had not help Kaname feel any less useless than she was before standing in the rain in front that Ace woman. This stacked on top of the rest of the events that had recently taken place made her feel rather upset.  
  
"What is going on here? Why is all of this happening to me? God damn it! I haven't done anything to deserve any of this!"  
  
Kevin grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her up against the wall. Kaname squeezed her eyes shut and gasped in surprise. When she opened her eyes again, Kevin was staring her directly in the eyes. He had a very hardened expression on his face, and it was like his gaze could have turned her to stone.  
  
"Watch it, Kaname! God damns nothing; he only blesses. You're just going to have to deal with all of this. I consider us to be rather blessed since we are still alive. That woman has the ability to kill the both of us. I don't think I can stop her. So, I need you to stop feeling sorry for yourself and help me keep us alive. If you can't think through this with a cool head, then we both will die. So, get a grip on yourself! Can you do that for me?"  
  
Kevin reached into his trench coat and pulled out a kama.{1} Kaname stared at it curiously, trying to make sense of Kevin's choice of weapons to carry around. She was slightly startled when he slammed the sharp end into the electric box on the side of the wall. The box sparked, the lights around the place flickered, and then they all went out. The place was now completely dark except for the illumination provided by the moonlight and the occasional streak of lightning. Kevin pulled the kama back out of the box and handed it to Kaname.  
  
"Okay, if there are any snipers around that should limit their vision to where they cannot see us. It will also serve to cloak us from any people on the ground. The storm will prove useful by covering up any noise that we may make. With luck, they will not be able to find us."  
  
A large, dark shadow covered the two just as soon as Kevin finished speaking. Both turned around and looked up, way up.  
  
"It's too late. I've already found you. You're very clever getting away from Ace, but don't worry; she'll be here shortly. Until then, I may be able to keep you entertained."  
  
Behind them was a huge, hulking, mountain of muscle. The man looked as if he may have been seven feet tall and weighed at least four-hundred pounds, all muscle. Kaname's eyes widened at the sight of the large, muscular, intimidating man towering over them. Kevin's face pulled into a sneer of disgust as he balled up his fist.  
  
"I have no time to be bothered by you."  
  
Without warning, Kevin's fist flew upward, connecting solidly with the man's jaw. The most astounding thing was that the blow was hard enough to stun a bull, but the man looked unfazed in every way. It seemed like just to intimidate Kaname even more; he smirked at the punch thrown by the smaller man and turned his smirk to her. Kevin looked as if he were about to erupt in anger, or perhaps fear, or maybe even embarrassment. The large man smiled and let out a slight laugh of taunt.  
  
"Nice punch. But, you could do that all night and I wouldn't even feel it. I won't kill you; I'll wait for Ace to do that honor. But, go ahead, amuse yourself all you want. Care to try that punch again? See if you can impress the little before you are both torn limb from limb?"  
  
Kevin's reply was quick and confident.  
  
"Sure."  
  
Kevin reared back and made his right hand into a fist. Kaname could have sworn she could hear the popping and cracking of tightening muscles in his arm. His arm thrust out in one quick, solid motion. The punch went deep into the large man's chiseled stomach. The large man's eyes widened as he let out all of his air as a result from the force of the blow. He gasped for air, but couldn't seem to find it. The man fell to his knees holding his stomach. Kevin bent over slightly so that he was eye level with the man. Now, he had a sadistic, yet satisfied smirk on his face.  
  
"I'm sorry about that. But, from all of your boasting I wouldn't have thought you would have folded under such a weak blow. I'm glad I didn't punch you as hard as I planned to or else you wouldn't have a stomach right now; would you? I would let you catch your breath, but we can't have you over here making all of this noise, now can we?"  
  
The next punch on the side of the man's face sent him unconscious, face first into the mud. The indention of the knuckles on the side of the man's face was still visible when Kaname looked down at him. She was absolutely astonished. She didn't know that a man could be that strong. His appearance sure was deceiving. She looked at him with an astonished expression on her face. Kevin only smirked slightly.  
  
"Didn't know that I could do that, huh? We can talk about it later, but right now we need to get out of here."  
  
Kevin looked around and spotted a kick-start motorcycle down toward the end that they came from, but on the opposite side of the building. He looked back over to his left to see a large tractor trailer facing away from the motel towards the road. He thought that the Lord must have been smiling on him because he was provided with a perfect opportunity. He pointed his finger toward the motorcycle.  
  
"I want you to start making your way to that motorcycle. I will get there at about the time you do. If you run into one of the goons, use that weapon I gave you and yell for me. I'll be with you in a moment. Go!"  
  
With that Kaname took of toward the motorcycle.

This was annoying. Not only could she not see them in this darkness, but she had also been humiliated. It wasn't everyday that someone as perfect as herself was caught off guard and hit by a door of all things. She hardly felt it, but that door hit rather hard. She had been informed that Chidori's protector was dead. Obviously not, and this person was a professional; far beyond the abilities of any professional that she had ever seen or heard of. He still wasn't a threat to someone as perfect as herself. She should have killed the girl on the spot and saved a lot of trouble, but that looked as if that mistake was about to be rectified.  
  
She heard the sound and saw the lights of a big-rig truck come on at the other side of the motel. They were fools making themselves such an easy target. But, any person would feel safe in such a large vehicle. She would show them their mistake. She could get them no matter how fast that truck was going. She noticed that they must have put the petal to the metal in order to get the thing going that fast.  
  
She hunkered down far to the ground and tightened up all of her leg muscles. With one quick exertion of all of her muscles, she leapt incredibly high into the air; at least three times as high as the five story motel complex. She soared gracefully through the air and started to come down onto the truck. Once again she stiffened her leg muscles to make a great impact for when she landed on the truck.  
  
The momentum of her falling body and the tremendous force of her falling stomp was easily enough to fold the truck in half and bring it to a stop on its side. She leapt before the truck flipped and gracefully landed on the road. No one could have survived that. She was quite proud of herself for her efficiency and perfect execution. That was easily enough to set her ego back higher than it was before she was hit with the well placed door. She stood for a minute caught up in her own beautiful, perfect work. The old man would praise her greatly for this one.  
  
Her blissful state was interrupted when she noticed that the engine of the truck was still going at full power and the tires were still spinning. Someone had not let off of the gas pedal. That was unlikely, and she could think of a more likely possibility since she could now hear the sound of a speeding motorcycle far in the distance. The motorcycle was too far away to catch or locate it.  
  
She walked over to the crumbled mess of what once was the cabin of the truck and violently ripped the door off of it. The dead and horribly mangled corpse of Greg, the huge mountain of a man that was commanded to accompany her, was in the truck. His eyes were open with a frozen, frightened expression on his face. He had a large bruise forming on his face. He was on the passenger side. The gas petal was pierced and stuck to the floor by the sharp end of what she identified to be a kama.  
  
Kaname was astonished by what she had just seen. She and Kevin were rather far off when she saw it, but she was still able to see and hear it clearly.  
  
It had started when Kevin told her to go to the motorcycle. She didn't even make it to the motorcycle before Kevin was beat her to it, after he did whatever he did. He had got onto the front and kick started the motorcycle. He helped her onto the motorcycle and then they drove out of there like a bat out of hell. She looked behind her to see the large semi- truck from earlier pull out quickly onto the road. Next, she caught a glimpse of Ace leaping through the air. What was even more astonishing was when she landed on the truck. The truck from her perspective folded in half and then flipped over. What this Ace woman had done defied all logic of human capabilities. This display of the woman's power frightened her even more. No longer was she under the attack of only terrorists, but also unstoppable killing machines. She now wished that Sousuke was with her more than ever. If he were here he would know what to do; he always did.  
  
Kevin's mind and body was caught up in the adrenaline rush. Everything was moving in slow motion for him. He could not feel the sharp, almost piercing drops of rain against his face. He had to get himself and the girl out of here alive and back to the church. They would be safe there. He was slowly brought back to reality when he finally felt Kaname's arms tighten around him. Either he was driving really fast and recklessly, or she was trying to find comfort. Maybe, it was a little bit of both. He glanced into the side mirror to see nothing behind him. They had been traveling for at least twenty minutes now, going as fast as their current transportation could take them. He decided right now would be a good time to pull over.  
  
It had just now occurred to him what was said during the conversation between Kaname and Ace. This woman also wanted Sister Meredith dead, and he wasn't there to protect her.  
  
Sister Meredith and the church could very well be the next target. He needed to get there as quickly as he could. Time was against them.  
  
The rain was against them.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
  
**Author's Notes:** {1} A kama is a traditional melee weapon originating from ancient Japan. It was more commonly used by the peasantry or those in monastic training of monks. It looks similar to a small sickle without as much as a curved blade. It was used as a very useful cropping tool, but when used in the fashion of the training of the monks; it was a deadly weapon that was used in many different creative fashions. Thank you for reading my story.


	6. The Twilight of the Fog

**Disclaimer**: I make no claim to the series, ideas, or characters of Full Metal Panic.  
  
**The Deathbringer**  
  
**Chapter 6: The Twilight of the Fog  
**  
_By Adam Lakewood __Copyright 2004  
_  
Kaname released her grip on Kevin when it seemed that he was about to stop. All of the sudden, he sped back up, so she tightened her grip once again. It was raining so hard and they were going so fast that the rain against her face hurt badly, like fiery bits of ember against her bare skin. Was Kevin still concerned that they were not far enough away from that Ace woman? Maybe he was just being certain. Maybe he knew something that she didn't.  
  
Finally, after about another hour of traveling at top speed, they arrived on what seemed to be a small town. The motorcycle slowed down as they entered into the parking lot of a coffee shop. The bright lights shining on the inside of the shop and the large neon 'Open 24 hours' sign was a welcome comfort from the darkness and the rain. Kevin somewhat parked the bike, got off, and ran inside without a word. She hadn't known him for very long, but she could tell that something was bothering him. She quickly slid from the bike and ran after him. The both of them entered into the shop with Kaname slightly behind Kevin.  
  
The shop was surprisingly packed with people for it being before only a little after five in the morning. There were people at almost every booth and table, and there were a few waitresses walking around still half asleep. It was pretty loud when they opened the door, but everyone soon went quite and turned to stare at the two who came into their coffee shop. Obviously, it wasn't common around these parts to see a couple come into the parking lot on a motorcycle in the middle of the storm of the century in the early hours of the morning. The appearance of the two dripping wet did not help relieve their curiosity. The appearance of the young lady dressed in strange clothing not common to the small bumpkin town assist in settling their curiosity; nor the appearance of a tall man with a trench coat and gloves. One of the waitresses turned around and looked at the two oddly.  
  
"Can I... get you something?"  
  
Kevin replied quickly to the question.  
  
"Yes, a phone."  
  
The man behind the counter looked at him with a sneer.  
  
"Sorry, the phone's not available to the public."  
  
Kevin quickly pulled out his wallet and reached in for some money. He pulled out a wad of bills with a couple of fifty American dollar bills present among the numbers on the pieces of paper. He dropped the money onto the counter. The man smiled. He lifted the hinged counter top separating the dining room from the work area. He pointed through the swinging doors behind the counter.  
  
"Back there and to the left."  
  
Kaname sat down on one of the stools and folded her arms over her chest in order to put something in the way of some of the eyes of the old men who seemed to not be able to take their eyes off of her soaked shirt. What was Kevin in such a hurry to get to a phone for? He probably needed to phone in to Mithril or the church and let them know what happened. He seemed to be in real desperation to get to a phone in order to give up that much currency without a second thought.  
  
The television suspended from the ceiling was showing the local weather, but was suddenly interrupted when it switched back on to the confused face of one of the news personal. The woman on the television looked to the right and mouthed what looked to be a few confused words. She looked back to the camera and quickly down at her papers that were just handed to her. She smiled before she read the papers and then her phony smile dropped into one of terror and disgust. She cleared her throat and let out a few oddly placed 'ums' and then looked up at the camera before she started speaking in a somewhat of a stunned voice.  
  
_"We are sorry to interrupt your forecast, but this has just ended. A local county motel in Richardson seems to have been attacked by some sort of angry mob. There has been a mass murder and the damage is severe."  
_  
Kaname stopped to think about the news report for a moment. She smiled slightly at the exaggeration made by the police. But, that did seem like a feasible conclusion since the power had been shorted out, the door had been broken off of its hinges, a motorcycle had been stolen, and a truck had been demolished.  
  
_"Police believe that this seemed to have been planned since the power to the entire area was knocked out with the use of some foreign tool found near the fuse-box."  
_  
She inwardly laughed at that statement. She did not enjoy these attacks on her life in the least bit, but she noticed that it was somewhat humorous as to how people outside of her and Mithril viewed these attacks.  
  
_"Police are looking for the person to last have signed in under the name of 'Kevin Jacobs.'"  
_  
That statement caught Kaname's attention; Kevin was now being sought after as a convict because of her. This did not really help improve her mood in the slightest.  
  
_"Authorities are baffled because they are not able to find any records at all on this man. They believe that the man must have had a fake I.D."  
_  
Once again she had to stifle a laugh. That figures, since he was with Mithril. He said that he had never lied before, so the I.D was probably real; there just wasn't any record of him outside of Mithril. She wondered if it was the same for Sousuke. Would anyone know him outside of Mithril? Would there be anyone outside of Mithril to attend his funeral?  
  
_"The man signed into the motel as 'Kevin Jacobs' was the only person not found among the thirty-two dead at the motel."  
_  
Kaname froze in horror at that statement. He and Kaname was the only two left alive throughout the entire motel complex. Thirty-one people had died at the hands of Ace and perhaps the other man that was there. They had died because they were at the same place that she was. Kaname quickly felt the tears form in her eyes. She couldn't bear the thought of anyone else dying because of her.  
  
_"Motel manager, Hagie Herotipei, who had just recently moved to America with his wife and three children, was found dead behind the desk. His family was killed in the room in which they slept. All of the victims were brutally murdered. There were confirmed to have been twelve men, ten women, and ten children in the motel last night. All were murdered inside their own rooms. It is uncertain as to what kind of... what kind of... what kind of sick, fuck would murder children in their sleep?! What is this world coming to?! This is so fuc..."  
_  
The news was taken off the air just like the oxygen to Kaname's lungs. She couldn't catch her breath. She felt very sick to her stomach. They had all died because they were at the same motel that she was. She buried her face in the palms of her hands. She began to shiver violently. Out of all of the terrible things that Gauron had done, they didn't even begin to stack up to what Ace had done to innocent people at the motel. They weren't even in the way; they were asleep in their rooms. They had been killed for sport. If Sousuke were here he would have known what to do; he may have even been able to prevent what happened. But, maybe he couldn't have; maybe she wasn't giving Kevin enough credit. Kevin seemed to know what he was doing. She needed to stop thinking of how Sousuke might have done better than Kevin; perhaps he couldn't have. Sousuke was gone; she needed to trust Kevin now.  
  
The man behind the counter saw her shiver. It must have been the cold rain.  
  
"Ma'am?"  
  
Kaname didn't reply to the man for fear of drawing further suspicion to her and Kevin. But, the man seemed to know that he had her attention.  
  
"There is a bathroom in the other building outside if you want to go dry off or something."  
  
He pointed out the window at a building about one hundred feet away from the far side of the restaurant. Yes, drying off actually sounded like a good idea.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Her gratitude was spoken softly, but it was heard by the man.  
  
"Sure thing, ma'am."  
  
Kaname made her way back outside and started her way towards the building containing the restrooms. The rain was still coming down just as hard as it was before. It showed no signs of stopping any time soon, or any day soon for that matter. Either it was raining like this all around the world, or it was following her wherever she went. She decided that the later sounded a bit more feasible to her.  
  
She pushed open the door that had the symbol for the lady's restroom on it and went inside. She walked in front of one of the mirrors and looked at herself. The mirror was smudged, and thus, contorted her image slightly. She looked tired, depressed, broken. This was the person that Sousuke Sagara had died protecting: a person that needed protecting because of some worthless power. He had thrown his life away for nothing. And, now other people had died because of her. The thought was too much to bear. She leaned over the counter and started letting loose her sorrow in the form of streams of tears.  
  
"You must have heard about what happened at the motel." said a voice from the stall behind her.  
  
It was obviously female, and the tone sounded as if it were filled with sorrow. Kaname felt slightly embarrassed since she assumed that there was no one else in the restroom.  
  
"It's alright; really. I feel the same way that you do. It was really horrible what happened. But..."  
  
Kaname heard the door unlatch and looked around to see who her current counselor was.  
  
"Examples have to be made."  
  
Kaname watched in absolute horror, anger, and disbelief as Ace walked over to the mirror and began fixing her hair.  
  
"The truth is that I hated every moment of killing those people, but sometimes I have to let my targets know what will happen if they resist me. If they make it hard on me, I will make it hard for them. You understand don't you?"  
  
She turned around to look Kaname in the face. Kaname was no longer afraid of the woman, and was instead furious at her. She had gone too far and had killed a lot of people in order to just take her anger out on them. She felt like screaming in a fit of rage, so she did.  
  
"You, bitch! I don't know who the hell you are or who you think you are, but I can't believe that someone would be as cold as to kill people while they were lying in their beds. You are such a..."  
  
Kaname was cut short by a sudden sharp pressure against her stomach. Ace's fist connected like a sledgehammer. The wind was knocked out of her, she couldn't breathe, and she felt very dizzy. She fell down to her hands and knees trying to catch her breath to no avail.  
  
"You keep silent! You have no right to talk to me that way. Especially since that wouldn't have happened if you and that shit headed bodyguard of yours hadn't decided to kill my partner and make a getaway! I was only doing my job, so you are the one to blame for all of this!"  
  
If the woman were standing before a judge, she would have probably been let off due to insanity. Who knows: maybe it would be more than just a claim. At least this was the idea that Kaname was getting from the woman. Insanity; pure insanity. Ace's foot connected with Kaname's side, lifting her off of the ground and hurling against the wall. Kaname would have gasped in pain if she had a means of gasping. Instead, she squinted her eyes shut, rolled over onto her side, curled up on the floor, and held her ribs. She felt as if her insides were being crushed. She was starting to go lightheaded from the pain and the lack of oxygen. Ace pulled Kaname's head up by the hair. Kaname winced in pain and tried to let out a yell, but the oxygen was still absent from he lungs. Ace raised her other hand into the air to reveal a knife that she had slid out from her sleeve. She aimed it for the vital spot between the ear and neck.  
  
"Miss Chidori, I'm truly sorry to have to be doing this, but if I don't do it, someone else will. My boss is a very resourceful man. So, goodbye, Miss Chidori."  
  
Kaname squinted her eyes closed, preparing for he impending doom at the hands of this woman. She was really going to die here! First, Sousuke, now her. Everything had happened so fast that she felt that she was in an action movie. But, the excitement wasn't there since she was the one being held at gunpoint, or knifepoint in this case. Sousuke had pulled her through some pretty tight spots before, but he wasn't here now. It would take a miracle for her be able to live through this since Sousuke wasn't there.  
  
Whoever said there was no such thing as a miracle must have never been blessed with one. Ace quickly let go of Kaname and she fell to the ground hard. Ace quickly turned around and slapped her hand through the air. The hand struck a knife that was aimed straight for her head, and was deflected perfectly. The knife spun around and landed on the ground just a few feet away from Kaname. She was now finally able to catch her breath, though each breath was very painful. Ace smirked and Kaname looked up to see who her savior was.  
  
"Priest, I have one raw nerve left in my body and you are dancing all over it!"  
  
"Kevin!"  
  
"Stay down, Kaname!"  
  
"Die, Priest!  
  
Ace leapt through the air. Kevin had no time to react before she collided with him. He was slammed against the wall with great force, and she flew back into a graceful back flip and landed in a crouched position. She flew forward once again with her fist intending to connect with his skull. His eyes widened in horror as he was barely able to dodge the fist that cracked the wall where his head had once been. This woman was very deadly, and if he was going to take her down, or maybe only live through this, he would have to give it his all. His muscles began to tighten and pop in his arm. He pulled his fist back and let it swing with all of his force. The blow was so quick that it connected with Ace's face before she could react. Her head turned to the side with the incredible force of the blow, but she showed no sign of defeat. She instead turned around to him with a snarl on her face and a bit of blood coming from a gash in her cheek.  
  
"I can't believe it; you actually hit me! No one or nothing has ever hit me before! What the hell are you?!"  
  
"I am not of Hell; I am a man of God."  
  
The smirk on his face was wiped away by a fist to his stomach and a knee to the face. The blows came so quickly that he wasn't able to see them. The only thing he knew before he hit the ground was pain and then pain again. He landed on his back dazed and confused. He couldn't breathe, and the entire room looked and felt as if it were spinning around. Ace reached down and lifted him to his feet with one hand.  
  
"Piece of shit!" she exclaimed while readying her fist for another strike.  
  
The strikes came just as quickly as the others before. A left hook to the side of the face resulted in a cracking sound. He felt as if all of the blood had rushed to his head very quickly and he was even dizzier than before. The excruciating pain of the blow was significantly dulled by his light headedness and impaired senses. He couldn't even feel his own feet below him, his vision was blurry, and everything that he heard seemed to be muffled and he could not make it out. The right hook that followed was enough to completely wipe out his senses and send him unconscious. It was apparent that he was unconscious. But, Ace was not satisfied. She let him go, but before he could fall she spun around and delivered a solid kick to his chest. The force was so great that the wall couldn't entirely stand up against it even after having Kevin as a buffer. A large indention appeared in the wall as Kevin was almost forced through it. He fell to the ground along with chunks of concrete from the wall.  
  
"Kevin!"  
  
Kaname quickly rushed to his side to check on his condition. She feared that he was dead. How could a person live after that? How could a person be as strong as to do that? She reached down to check for a pulse. He was still alive, but he showed no signs of moving any time soon.  
  
Ace walked over to the mirror to look at the bleeding gash on the side of her face.  
  
"He's still alive. I don't think that what I dished out to him would kill a monster like that. Any other person, sure, but not him. I'll keep him alive for a little while; I want to take glory in making him suffer for a little while."  
  
She turned around and smiled a sadistic smile to Kaname.  
  
"But, before I can have my fun, I have to do my chores."  
  
Fear. Fear was the only thing that Kaname knew at that moment. Sousuke seemed to be able to do things that no other man could do. Kevin seemed to be able to do a lot of things that Sousuke could never wish to do, and this Ace was capable of taking down Kevin quite easily. She had never felt so helpless in her entire life. All around, people had died because of her and some in order to protect her. Now, it seemed as if Kevin was going to do slowly because of her. At least she would not be around to see it; Ace was going to kill her first. This was apparent by the determination in the woman's stride as she walked towards Kaname and Kevin. Kaname positioned herself over the fallen Kevin in hopes of shielding him in case Ace was to change her mind about her current target. Kevin, like Sousuke, was going to die because he tried to protect her. The least she could do was try to protect him, despite how much in vain her attempts were.  
  
Ace chuckled as she continued to approach the two.  
  
"Isn't that precious? The protected trying to protect the protector. It makes me wonder exactly goes on in your head when you people see your early, personal Armageddon approaching. Actually, it makes me want to laugh."  
  
Kaname had not heard a word that the woman had said. The only thing that she could hear was a slight ringing in her ears with a lot of soft whispers that she could not make out. No matter how many times her powers as a Whispered were invoked, she never got entirely used to it. Now, she was more confused as to the reason why her power was making itself known at this point since there was obviously no apparent reason for it to be making its presence known. Time seemed to abruptly stop. Ace was not moving, nor was anything else. Everything seemed to be frozen in time, she could not hear, feel, smell, or feel anything. It was like she wasn't even there.  
  
Suddenly, the unknown words and numbers began flowing through her mind at an impossible speed. This was different from all the other time; she did not have any idea what was going on. And, time seemed to be frozen indefinitely in order for her to figure it out. Kaname placed her hands on her head as if to keep everything that was inside from coming out. She began shaking her head around violently.  
  
"No! Stop it!"  
  
Ace stared at the girl on the ground in front of her. She stopped her forward march in order to take in what was happening. She watched as the girl grabbed her head and shook it while screaming. She smiled when she came upon a logical explanation.  
  
"Ha! It seems as if I have driven the poor girl insane with fear. Poor thing; I really didn't mean to do that."  
  
Her voice was hinted with pleasure and sarcasm.  
  
"I guess I'll just have to put her out of her misery and end her suffering."  
  
With that, she took a few more steps until she was standing over the shaking girl. Kaname had wrapped her hands around herself and was shivering violently.  
  
Kaname was now once again standing outside of the motel in the pouring rain. She looked around as if looking for something and it didn't seem to take long for her to find what she was looking for. From the sky fell a mass of people; actually it was more like they floated down to the ground. They were men, women, and children alike and they were all horribly mangled. Some had cuts all over their faces, some were missing limbs, and some looked as if they were burned. Out of the faces she recognized a few. They were the people who had died at the motel. Though the mangled corpses of the people did not speak, it was apparent as to their mood of hostility. They began running towards her at incredible speeds with their arms outstretched.  
  
Kaname turned away from the people and fell to her knees. She pulled her head towards the ground and then brought it back up quickly.  
  
Ace watched in astonishment as she felt and saw the wind swirling around Kaname's body. Her hair and clothing fluttered in the wind inside the building. She had no idea as to what to make of this. Is this what her boss was talking about when he mentioned her advancing Whispered powers? She knew that she needed to end this girl's life, but she was unable to bring herself to action. She had never seen anything like this. The intention in the wall where she had knocked the priest was starting to grow and crumble; as were their cracks forming in the walls around her. She watched as Kaname quickly shot her head back up to look at nothing in particular. This actually took her by surprise. The girls face showed no emotion and her eyes were distant, uncaring, unknowing... innocent. Suddenly, her eyes quickly changed to a look of fear. Then, she screamed out a single exclamation.  
  
"NO!"  
  
Ace felt the unnatural wind in the building pick up greatly. Before she could do anything she was hurled backwards with tremendous force. This time, the opposite wall was not able to take the force and she went flying through it. She would have gone further if there was not a car to stop her. The car stopped her in her flight path, but the force of her body being hurled by the unknown force was enough to flip the car over.  
  
The people inside the restaurant did not know what to make of this. They had heard a lot of crashes over the past minute. They were all gathered around the window that provided the best view of the building when a blonde haired lady clad in tight leather clothing went flying through the wall of the bathroom followed by pieces of rubble. They also witnessed the car being flipped over from the force of her impact. They also witnessed the miracle of her getting back up. They were also watching when the building collapsed. They had been watching ever since the young man in the trenchcoat headed towards the women's bathroom. This is what they could make out from their positions. The tremendous downpour was obscuring their vision.  
  
Ace was in incredible pain. This was pain that she had never felt before. She looked down to where she was grasping her ribs. She turned her hand over to see if that was blood or just the rain that she felt. Her hand quickly filled with water, but there was still some red tint to it that she could tell. She understood what her boss meant when he said that the girl needed to be exterminated before her powers grew too much. It seemed as if he meant that her powers could grow even more than this. She was not supposed to have allowed her to have lived long enough for her powers to grow to this magnitude. She was now starting to doubt her chance of being able to complete her mission.  
  
Then, she saw the building crumble. It seemed that the power was not directed at her and was instead lashed out wildly. The walls of the building had sustained as much force as she had and now collapsed with the two inside. Normally, she would have considered anyone in there to be dead, but she highly doubted that they were dead considering the growing power of that girl and the physical abilities of the priest. She approached cautiously. The last thing she wanted was to be smacked with another one of those "psychic" attacks. She was startled when a large slab of concrete rose from the rubble. She took a quick step back to only realize that the slab was being lifted by the hand of the priest. Underneath the slab were the priest and the girl. The priest seemed to be injured; as was apparent by the amount of blood flowing down his face. He had the girl in his other arm. There was no apparent injury on her, but her clothing was torn and ripped to the point as to where it was almost non- existent. And, she was apparently unconscious. She was able to conclude that the blast was purposefully not directed at the priest and the tears in her clothes meant that the blast came directly from her. It seemed as if the mildly controlled blast had exhausted her. And, since the blast was mildly controlled, it meant that the girl had minor control over the power. This made her even more detrimental. She and the priest needed to be put down before she regained consciousness.  
  
I rocked slipped underneath Kevin almost causing him to fall. Normally, there would be no way that Kevin would ever fall down, but his exhaustion was getting to him, and now he had to fight her again. He looked down at the unconscious for of Kaname. She was innocent. She had done nothing to do this. She was one of God's Gifted. How could someone be as evil as to want to kill her? For her, he would continue fighting. His Lord would never forgive him if he were to let her die without doing everything he could to protect her. He would find redemption through this. He would finally be able to earn a seat in Heaven beside his Lord. He could hear the tune 'When the Saints Go Marching In' playing. It came through so loud that it could even be heard over the pounding rain and the howling wind. It was not heavenly; it was horrible. It sounded electronic. It was coming from Ace.  
  
Ace reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone that turned out to be the source of the annoying music since it got louder when took it out of her pocket. She smiled as she silenced the ringer and put the phone back in her pocket.  
  
"Wow! Talk about being saved by the bell, Priest. You must truly have the luck of your god on your side. I now have orders to let you live for a little while longer. But, mind you, Priest, this is only delaying the inevitable. You, Miss Chidori, and Sister Meredith will all die, and I will be there to personally make sure of it."  
  
Now, she looked to be disgusted that she could not end their lives right there on the spot. She spat in disgust, which was actually a bit more blood than spit. Truth being, she was slightly afraid. She had never been injured like that before. Systems and armies were not able to scratch her, but the priest had landed a powerful punch on her, and the girl almost blasted into another state with some unknown power. This was starting to be a little much, and she would need to come next time with backup. She leapt into the air and didn't come back down. It was now apparent that she was gone.  
  
Kevin found this to be strange since she could have killed them then and there. But, he took this as a sign of mercy from God and did not question it. His phone call revealed that the church and Sister Meredith were in no immediate danger. He and Kaname were recently attacked, so they were the ones in the most immediate danger. Still, he needed to get back to the church. Everyone would be safer at the church.  
  
He bent took off his trenchcoat and took out all of his weapons from the inside of the coat. He had four kamas left. He also had a katana, a bo- staff, a pair of tonfas, a pair of butterfly swords, a dozen throwing knives with tassels, and several throwing stars. Father Kevin Jacobs believed in the old ways, and refused the use of guns. He was still more potent than any soldier out there, though. He strapped his weapons to his belt and over his back. One could see that he was of a rather muscular build when all he had on his upper half was a white tank-top. It took only a few seconds for the shirt to become soaking wet from the rain. He bent down and wrapped the trenchcoat around the unconscious Kaname. He lifted her into his arms and jogged back to the restaurant.  
  
The door was opened for him when he got a few feet in front of the door. The waitress looked at him, expecting an answer to an unspoken question when she opened the door for him. Everyone else in the restaurant was deathly quite as they stared at him, the girl in his arms, and his weapons. He looked around at all of the astonished people. He suddenly got a very stern and dedicated look in his eyes. He could look very intimidating when he wanted to be.  
  
"Listen to me. I would advise all of you to forget what you just saw and never speak of it again. With this storm that we're having, it very well could have been a stationary, sanctioned hurricane that fell the building outside. Now, I need a lift from someone that is heading in the direction of Creedence. Is anyone heading that way?"  
  
One could assume by the silence in the restaurant that either everyone was going to head back the direction that they came after they ate, or no one wanted to give them a ride. One middle aged man seated at a table with his wife, daughter, and son looked around the room at everyone. He got up and reached into his pocket.  
  
"Sir, you and the lady may have our van. You seem to need it a lot more than we do. I do not know what just happened back there, but judging by that cross around your neck I can assume that it would be in my best interests to help you in any way I can. It's the red one parked over there." he said pointing out the window and towards the van.  
  
"Thank you, Brother. I can assure that you will be awarded for your deeds in this world and the next. God bless you."  
  
Kevin took the keys from the man and left out the door which the waitress held open for him once again. He slid open the back door and gently laid Kaname down in the back seat. The family was obviously going camping since there was a tent, many sleeping bags, and numerous blankets in the back. He took note that Kaname had regained partial consciousness and was shivering from the cold. He took one blanket and wrapped it around her, and he took the other and placed it over her. He closed the door, walked around to the driver's side, opened the door, and got inside. He rested his head against the headrest a moment before starting the ignition and pulling out of the parking lot. It would still be about three hours before they reached the church, and Kaname would be unconscious for at least another two. This was plenty of time for him to ponder on a few questions. How was that Ace woman capable of doing the things she was? Why was she targeting Kaname and Sister Meredith specifically? What would he do once he got back to the church? Was Meredith alright? What exactly did Kaname do to that building and how? Was it the power of the Whispered? Had God given her more of a gift than the others? And most importantly: How and what would he do to prepare for Ace's next promised attack? Would anyone be able to stop her? What was she? These were questions that would occupy him for the next couple hours.

* * *

Kaname had woken up about an hour and a half before they arrived to the church, and had taken off her torn clothing, and replaced them with some women's clothes that were in one of the bags. The clothing was a little bit too big, but it would suffice. More importantly, she herself was wondering what had happened at the restaurant. How did she manage to blast Ace through a wall, and take down the entire building in the process? She was pretty sure it had something to do with her power as a Whispered, but she never knew that she could do that.  
  
They were now pulled into the gates of the church. Kaname marveled at the enormous structure before her. It was the most beautiful structure that she had ever seen. It was more beautiful than her textbooks showed them to be. The outside looked as if it was made of marble, and all of the windows were beautifully painted. The grass was the greenest that she had ever seen before, and the sidewalks were perfectly clean. The bushes seemed to be perfectly trimmed, and the small pond behind the church looked to be crystal clear. There were a few people walking around outside. They were all dressed very prim. Most of the gentlemen wore tuxedos and suits, and most of the women were wearing what looked like black robes with black hoods. They must have been the nuns that Kevin had been talking about. She felt kind of nervous being here since she looked and felt out of place. She would be meeting a lot of new people that she knew close to nothing about, and she would also be meeting Sister Meredith. She then saw the beautiful, almost radiant, graveyard on the hill overlooking the church. She never would have thought anything involving death or the dead could be so beautiful. This also reminded her that they would be burying Sousuke. But, she had better not think about that right now.  
  
"Kaname?"  
  
Kevin looked down with an expectant look in his eye. She stared at him perplexed for a moment. He finally held his hand to the side as if motioning to the church.  
  
"Oh! Yes, of course. Sorry about that; I was just taking in the place." she said while looking around again.  
  
Kevin smiled and looked around for a moment himself.  
  
"That's understandable. This place is very beautiful isn't it?"  
  
"It sure is."  
  
Her smiled faded slightly when she looked back up at the graveyard. She pointed her finger towards it and Kevin turned his head in that general direction.  
  
"Is that where they are going to bury Sousuke?"  
  
He could hear the solemn tone in her voice. He sighed slightly before replying.  
  
"Yes. That is where he will be buried."  
  
He felt as if he needed to at least attempt to make her feel a little bit better. He walked up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. He bent his head down to where his head almost rested on her shoulder so he could see from her eyelevel. He pointed up towards the graveyard again.  
  
"Do you see that coffin up there?"  
  
Kaname looked closely to where Kevin was pointing his finger. She had taken note of it before, but she never thought it was a coffin; she thought that it was a part of the beautiful decoration in the beautiful graveyard.  
  
"Yeah, I see it. I didn't think that was coffin."  
  
"Well, it's not a normal coffin. Most coffins are buried under ground. Those are made to be placed in specific buildings made to hold them. A building like that one over there."  
  
He shifted his finger slightly to the right to where it was pointing at a large, yellowish, brick building. The building itself was beautiful and seemed to look like it belonged in the graveyard.  
  
"That is where Sousuke is going to be buried. That is the most beautiful coffin that I have ever seen, and that's what Sousuke is going to be put in, and then he will be put into that building. He will not be getting the traditional burial. He specifically requested in his will to be buried in this fashion. And, since he is a good friend of Sister Meredith's, we, the church, gladly obliged."  
  
He sat up straight and patted her on the shoulder.  
  
"We better get going. Sister Meredith is dying to meet with you."  
  
Oddly enough, they did not go inside the church, but instead got back in a new car that was pulled around to them. Kaname supposed that the people of the church couldn't have that kind of piece of junk vehicle here among their cars with reflective mirror gloss shines. They instead brought out a limo for them to ride in. A driver got out of the driver's seat and opened the door for Kaname. She nodded her head in thanks to the driver who smiled in return. Kaname looked around the inside of the car and watched the scenery in awe as they drove on. Kevin smiled to himself. She was like a child in a candy store. It was understandable, though, since they didn't have these kinds of churches in Japan.  
  
Kaname was amazed that the entire church estate was like a small town: complete with paved roads, shops, and neighborhoods. They turned down one of the roads which were lined on either side by houses spread no further than fifty feet away from each other. She had never seen a place quite like this while she was in America before. These houses looked like the ones that she once saw from an old television show that she saw while she was here. This was very stereotypical: most of the houses had white picket fences and grills in their front yards.  
  
Finally, the limo pulled in front of the driveway of one of the houses.  
  
"We're here." Kevin said pulling her out of her trance.  
  
Kaname immediately opened her door and got out to have a look around at the outside. Things never looked the same through a glass window. She looked over in time to see the driver give her a confused look. It seemed as if he couldn't believe that she got out of the car before he could open the door. He didn't know quite what to do about this dilemma, so he opened Kevin's door. Kevin stepped out with a slight chuckle.  
  
Kevin held open the gate for Kaname. She was somewhat nervous since she had never met this person before. She had never been nervous when meeting new people, but this was different. Kevin noticed this and decided to take the lead. They walked down the concrete sidewalk to the front door. The houses here were obviously taken care of as much as the church. The porch was completely spotless as if it had been swept off ten times since the morning, and the grass was perfectly cut to where none of it hung over the sidewalk. One would have thought that Kaname was a perfectionist by the way she noticed these things, but she never would have noticed them if it was something that she saw everyday. Before Kevin could even knock on the door, it was answered.  
  
In the doorway stood the beautiful woman from Sousuke's picture. She had piercing green eyes and long, red hair. From what she could see of her body, she seemed to be very lean, but fit. She was somewhat shorter than Kaname, but Kaname was considered to be kind of tall. This is the kind of woman that no man would care to be in their presence. The first person that she saw was Kevin, and she immediately gave him a welcoming hug.  
  
"Kevin, I'm so glad that you're alright! Someone called me and said that you called and said that you were in danger. I've been worried about you! You could have at least called!"  
  
She folded her arms and gave him a stern look. She looked like a mother scolding her child. She quickly put on another smile, let out a little bit of laughter and gave him another hug. She let go of him and turned around to face Kaname. She smiled at her also.  
  
"Yeah, sorry about that. I would have called you, but I seriously didn't have the time. We just got here a few minutes ago. Oh! Sister Meredith, this is..."  
  
"Kaname Chidori!" said Sister Meredith, finishing his sentence for him.  
  
"Kaname Chidori, this is..."  
  
"Sister Meredith Rily. I'm pleased to finally meet you. I have been expecting you for a long time, and I have heard a lot about you."  
  
"I'm glad to meet you too. If you don't mind my asking, who have you heard about me from?"  
  
"Well, besides almost everyone at Mithril, mostly from Sousuke."  
  
Kaname smiled at that statement.  
  
"Well, he better had said some good things about me."  
  
All three chuckled a bit and were silent for a moment before Sister Meredith broke the silence.  
  
"You don't have to worry about that. Everything he said about you was only of good intent. He told me everything about you early this morning." 

TO BE CONTINUED


	7. The Hollow of the Raven Moon

**Disclaimer:** I make no claims to the series, ideas, of characters of Full Metal Panic.  
  
**Author's Notes:** I want to take the time to thank my readers who are still reading my story. I know that the story went downhill for the past few chapters, but I think that the story will redeem itself. I anticipate that this chapter will probably be extremely long, but it is necessary for the story because many questions, if not all questions, will be answered. I hope this story is redeemable. I do not what happened to my writing abilities in the last few chapters, but I will try on this one. If the story is so broken that it can't be fixed, I'll drop it and begin something new. As always, please review if you find my story worth the time; I haven't been getting very many lately. I hope you enjoy. Thank you.  
  
**The Deathbringer  
  
Chapter 7: The Hollow of the Raven Moon  
**  
_By Adam Lakewood Copyright 2004_  
  
Sousuke was alive? How could that be? She was there when he was horribly murdered by... whatever that was. Sister Meredith had spoke with him this morning? How could that be? What was going on?  
  
A million questions swirled through Kaname's mind all at once. Kevin looked at her and quickly realized what was just said. He quickly took a look of shock on his face.  
  
"K... Kaname? I'm sorry. Sister Meredith did not mean that he was alive and walking around."  
  
Kaname immediately changed facial expressions to that of one of confusion. She quickly felt herself become agitated with the two. Were they trying to send her to an early grave? Were they trying to be funny? Was this some sort of sick joke? Sister Meredith immediately gave Kevin a questioning look, and then she realized exactly what she had said. She walked over to Kaname, took her hand in both of hers and lowered her head.  
  
"I'm so sorry about that. I did not watch my words. I forgot that you wouldn't know what I was talking about."  
  
"Then, exactly what were you talking about?"  
  
Sister Meredith let go of her hand, held open the door, and motioned inside. She quickly put another warm smile on her face.  
  
"Why don't you come on in? Our meeting is far overdue. I have a lot I want to tell you, and I'm sure you have a lot that you want to ask me. Correct?"  
  
"Yes, definitely."  
  
Kaname nodded her gratitude at Sister Meredith and went inside. Kevin remained on the porch and cleared his throat. Both turned their attention to Kevin.  
  
"Excuse me, ladies. I have a feeling that your discussion may be better enjoyed without my presence. Besides, I have things that I must take care of. If neither of you good ladies have any immediate need for my assistance, I will take my leave." he said while imitating a British accent and doing a mock bow on the last part.  
  
Meredith laughed slightly and Kaname smiled. Currently, Kevin should have been the only person that she would feel comfortable around, but for some reason she felt drawn to Sister Meredith as a close friend in the short couple of minutes that she had known her. Kaname shook her head, and Sister Meredith motioned towards the limo outside.  
  
"We'll be fine; thank you, Kevin. If we need you, we'll call. You go ahead and go do whatever you need to do, and make sure to get some rest; you must be tired."  
  
"Well, I might just do that exact thing. But, if either of you ladies need me for anything, and I mean anything, give me a call, I'll be right over."  
  
"Thank you, Kevin. I know you will. But, we'll be fine. Go ahead and get some rest, I'll give you a call when I have dinner done tonight."  
  
"That sounds all right! I have really been craving for one of your delicious, perfectly seasoned, and baked to perfection, baked potatoes." he offered obviously suggestively.  
  
"You've got it! Now, go on!"  
  
Kaname looked at Kevin and smiled at him. He had been so good to her, and he had been the one that got her here alive. She now felt safer than she had for the past couple of days. She felt an eternal gratitude to this man.  
  
"Thanks, Kevin, for everything."  
  
He smiled and tipped an imaginary hat at them.  
  
"The pleasure was mine. You fine ladies have a great day, and I will see you both later tonight."  
  
With that he closed the door behind him, and he could be heard whistling as he walked down the sidewalk. Sister Meredith smiled and laughed to herself. She closed the door and locked it. She walked back into the living area and motioned towards the couch.  
  
"Please, make yourself at home. Would you like something to drink? I just brewed some fresh tea. I'll be back in a moment."  
  
Without even waiting for a reply from Kaname, she went into what Kaname could assume to have been the kitchen. Obviously, she would be having a cup of the tea and she had no say-so otherwise. Sister Meredith would enforce her hospitality. Kaname smiled at the woman's kindness. She had nothing to do while she waited for Sister Meredith so she looked around the room. The house, she could tell on the outside and now even more on the inside, was not very large. It was actually kind of small, but it was cozy. She was always one for the larger homes, but for some reason, she actually liked this house. The room that she was in, the living room, reminded her of the living room of an old lady's house. This was not to say that she didn't like the room; she liked it very much. The room was small, had quite a bit of stuff in it, but was well kept. There were a lot of different ornaments in the room, all of which did not seem to have a speck of dust on them. The walls were a tan color, and the carpet was of a yellowish tint. The couch and chair in the room had a throws over them that matched the room perfectly with a pattern of yellow and dark green leaves. The couch and the chair were formed in an 'L' shape against the walls. Beside the couch was the entrance to the kitchen which also looked very small. The walls of the living room were covered with pictures; some of which were a little bit older than the others. They were of many different people. Some were of Sister Meredith at different ages and stages in her life. Others were probably of her family. She even had a few pictures that had Kevin in them.  
  
Kaname smiled at the pictures that she saw that had her and Kevin in it. A lot of them seemed to be vacation pictures of Sister Meredith and Kevin. She recognized in a lot of pictures many of the land marks of America: The Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, etc. They both seemed to be smiling and having a very good time. One of the pictures that caught Kaname's eyes was that of Kevin and Sister Meredith walking on a tightrope, or at least Kevin was. Sister Meredith was on his shoulders looking down at the crowd below with a horrified look on her face.. It was obviously taken by someone in the huge crowd looking up at them. They seemed to be at a festival of some sort. These two reminded her of a lot of recent memories she had of her and Sousuke. That actually seemed like something that she and Sousuke might have done. She then looked down towards the console television in front of her. It had a stand-picture frame lying face down on top of it. The picture seemed to be the only thing in the room that had a speck of dust on it. Kaname sat it up to take a look at it. She was slightly surprised to see that it was the same picture of Sousuke and Sister Meredith that Sousuke had in his wallet. Sister Meredith returned into the room carrying a tray with two steaming cups of tea on it.  
  
"Yes, I like pictures, so I take them or have them taken constantly. Did you see the one of..."  
  
Sister Meredith looked at the picture that Kaname had in her hand. Her smile immediately dropped and her eyes went to the floor.  
  
"Sousuke." she said, but not finishing her previous sentence.  
  
"He had this same picture in his wallet."  
  
Sister Meredith looked back up trying to hold back her tears. She thought she had finished shedding her tears yesterday, but it seemed as if she hadn't. This happened every time she thought about Sousuke. She smiled at little at Kaname's statement. She thought Sousuke had forgotten about her.  
  
"Really?" she asked in a quite voice.  
  
"Yeah, I never would have thought that Sousuke would have any pictures; it was the only one I saw, so you must have been very special to him."  
  
"Yes, I believe I may have been."  
  
"Were you his girlfriend?"  
  
Sister Meredith hesitated before answering Kaname's question. She remembered all the time she and Sousuke had spent together. They did everything. She remembered that he had even invited her to go see her first opera with him. They had been very close; closer than any other two people at the Mithril base.  
  
"Everyone considered me to be. But, we knew better. Though, I had sometimes wished I could have been."  
  
Kaname actually felt somewhat relieved. She was afraid that she had been interfering with Sousuke's love life. But, now she understood.  
  
"You really loved him didn't you?"  
  
"With all my heart. More so than anyone except you would ever understand, for you shared the same kind of love with him that I did."  
  
Kaname should have been surprised by that statement, but she wasn't. She was only curious.  
  
"How did you know?"  
  
"You have experienced for yourself that the powers of the Whispered extend beyond the understanding of Black Technology. Each of the Whispered has different powers. One of my powers allows me to know more than I should about people and what goes on in their minds. Uncontrollable Telepathy, if you will. Plus, your eyes give you away."  
  
"I see. So, what did you mean when you said that 'Sousuke told you this morning?'"  
  
"Another one of my powers. Clairsentience, if you will. The Mithril caravan arrived this morning with Sousuke's body. They immediately began cleaning him up and putting him in his coffin. I... went to see his body with my own eyes. I couldn't believe that he had died, so I had to confirm this with my own eyes. A part of my Clairsentience allows me to 'trace a line' to the past when I am in contact with a strong presence. Obviously, the soul, spirit, or whatever you want to call it of Sousuke was a very strong presence. I was originally going to find out and tell everyone what the cause of death was, that is, until I found out. I, like you, understand that no one would believe me. But, when I came within about five feet of his coffin, it was like his entire life's history flashed before my eyes. Somehow, I am able to tap deeper into those flashes. I know exactly what happened at his moment of death; I know what he has been doing for the past year since he left me here, and I know who you are. He cared a lot about you; I know that too."  
  
Kaname didn't quite know what to say. Now that she had experienced the advanced powers of the Whispered, she actually believed that Sister Meredith was capable of these things. Since Sister Meredith was obviously capable of knowing much more than she did about Sousuke, it would be the smartest thing to try to find out as much as she could about what happened to Sousuke and who killed him.  
  
"So, Sister Meredith, what happened to Sousuke? Who killed him?"  
  
Sister Meredith sat down in her seat and motioned once again to the couch.  
  
"Have a seat and enjoy some of my tea. You already know a lot of the answer, but I will help you fully understand it. I'm sure you want to know more about Sousuke also, so I will start from the beginning. This is a very long story, so make yourself comfortable. By the way, please call me Meredith. I'm not a nun; it's only a façade to protect my identity."  
  
Kaname obliged. She kicked off her shoes and pulled her legs up onto the couch. She took a sip of tea and placed it on the table beside of her. That did not take her by surprise; she was starting to understand just how Mithril went about protecting the Whispered.  
  
"Where would you like for me to start?"  
  
Kaname gave the question a little bit of thought before replying. She wanted to know everything, no matter how long the story.  
  
"How about from when you were first assigned to be his advisor?"  
  
"Good, so you know that much already?"  
  
"Yes, Sousuke told me."  
  
"That's a surprise. He never told anyone that. This allows me to skip a lot of the story, but it will still be a long story."  
  
"That's fine; I don't exactly have any place I need to be right now."  
  
"All right. Let me start off by explaining how I first met Sousuke four years ago. Let's see..."  
  
She paused for a moment and did some quick calculating in her head.  
  
"That would have made him thirteen and me sixteen. I had just joined with Mithril to be one of their diplomat's. I had to settle for that since I failed the physical tests to be a soldier. I was still young and not exactly of what one would consider being the greatest of health. For those reasons also, I was not able to be a traveling diplomat, so I was assigned to the 4th Mithril Branch as an advisor because of my incredible leadership and people skills. They said that I was above what most of the soldiers needed, so I was assigned to the 'special case.'"

* * *

_"So, exactly when did Mithril start employing children?" asked the young lady in a stern and demanding voice to the man out in the hall.  
  
The girl was rather short. She had long, red hair and piercing green eyes full of determination. She was wearing civilian clothing as compared to everyone else's military BDU's. The man standing before her looked as if her were at least twice her height and over quadruple her weight, but he was sweating from the interrogation. He received snickers and teasing looks from his fellow privates as they passed by. The scene did look humorous to just about everyone in the room.  
  
"No, ma'am! Mithril normally does not employ anyone under the age of sixteen, but this boy was an exception. This request was made by Major Kalinin himself a while back."  
  
"You mean to tell me that this boy was brought here when maybe he wasn't yet a decade old?!"  
  
"Yes. That is quite possible."  
  
"This is sad." she grumbled to herself before walking towards the room with he file in hand.  
  
"Have a good day, Miss Rily."  
  
"You too, private."  
  
Meredith continued her way down the hall to the room she was supposed to be going to. This was degrading. She was the top advisor that the 4th Mithril Branch had, possibly the best that Mithril had period. She had been an advisor to even some of the leading officials of Mithril. Now, her greatest challenge was some kid. She had always talked to children a lot before; it was just something she enjoyed doing. Children and early teens were easy to get to open up, so what was the problem here. All kids Sagara's age wanted was someone to talk to. She would soon find out that it was the exact opposite for Sagara: he didn't want anyone to talk to. He was having an advisor forced on him.  
  
She slowly approached the door to the young man's room. She took in a deep breath to make sure her composure was what it should be. For some reason, she was slightly nervous about this; perhaps it was all the hype from the other advisors that made failed attempts on him.  
  
She quickly put on one of her trademark smiles and pushed open the door. The room was different from the rest of the base. The room was made with comfort in mind instead of security. There was actually velvet colored carpet on the floor instead of gray concrete. The walls were painted a brownish color that blended well with the many fake, green, plants. There was actual furniture in this room. It consisted of two black leather sectional couches and three chairs that were arranged into a circle. There was a large, well polished, perfectly clean glass top table in the middle of the circle of furniture. There was even a television build into the wall. It had a kitchen which looked like it had never been touched before, but was still quite clean. This actually looked like what was previously the lounge area of the base. It was turned into a room for Sagara since policy stated plainly that he couldn't share quarters with the other men for at least another two years. Many of the men were unpleased with loosing their lounge, but they were soon appeased when another room was made into their lounge. Sagara had obviously not rearranged the furniture since the room was made his; it looked exactly like the lounge that was used now. The only thing that was different about this room than the lounge was the presence of a thirteen year old kid sitting on the couch facing towards the door.  
  
Meredith immediately took note of the middle table which was cluttered with what seemed to pieces of multiple guns. The couches were covered with open books and magazines. There was a large line of weapons beside the couch that Sagara was sitting on that looked like they had just come off of an assembly line, or in this case, getting ready to go on a disassembly line.  
  
The boy known around the base as Sagara looked up when he heard the door open. He saw the young lady in front of him and took a look of surprise in his eyes. He quickly stood up, his eyes not leaving hers. He had obviously taken notice to her pleasant appearance. She noticed that his eyes began to wander downward from her slightly. As soon as he noticed where his eyes were going, he shook his head slightly and wiped his eyes. He immediately refocused his attention on her eyes. They were green. He noted this as an oddity for the base of the 4th Mithril Branch. He had never seen her before, so she must have been his new advisor sent over from the 12th Branch. The other four had given up on him; his plan couldn't have been going any better. She was pleasant to look at. The 4th Mithril Branch did not have women with such a great pair of... ... ... shoes. Yeah, that's it... shoes.  
  
Despite his hopes, Meredith had noticed his wandering eyes, and where they were wandering. She was rather impressed. This teenager was able to control his eyes... and hands better than the men she had been an advisor to previously. She looked down to where his eyes were wandering to confirm what exactly he was looking at. She looked back up at him and smirked. This seemed to cause the blood to flow to his head all of the sudden. At least that would be a way to start conversation. An odd way to start, but at least it was a way to start.  
  
"Hello, Sousuke. What's wrong?"  
  
She turned her head slightly sideways in question.  
  
"Looking at something you shouldn't have?"  
  
His face reddened once again. He put his hand on the back of his head and scratched an imaginary itch. His eyes went away from hers and to the ground.  
  
"Uh... no, not really. Well... maybe. Actually, yes. Except... uh... no. But, I could have."  
  
He looked back into her eyes with newfound determination. His face was stoic.  
  
"I will not deny the possibility."  
  
She laughed a little at his odd reply. He had guts. He was the only person to ever answer truthfully to that type of interrogation. She did not understand why the others had quit on him. This wouldn't be impossible; it would just take a little work. She decided she would have a little bit of fun with the boy that had given the others such a hard time.  
  
"So, you were looking at something that you shouldn't have. What kind of grand soldier are you?!" she asked mockingly.  
  
She had expected him to blush, but it seemed as if he was done with that nonsense. He had a determined spark in his eye as he gave his reply. An unexpected one due to his words and his immediate response.  
  
"Yes, I was. Forgive me, ma'am. As for what kind of soldier I am: I am one far better than you or anyone else in this base. Now, if the only thing that you wish to do is attempt to embarrass me, then you may show yourself to the door. You were not supposed to be here for another hour and seventeen minutes. If this is the kind of conversation I can expect from you, then I do not want your company any longer than is required of me to endure. Excuse me, ma'am, I need to clean up this mess before your scheduled arrival."  
  
"No, I'm sorry. I did not mean to embarrass you. I was..."  
  
"Yes, you did. Now, please leave, ma'am."  
  
Sagara walked back over to the couch and began closing and stacking his books and magazines. He walked over to a closet where there was a bucket beside the door. He opened the door and moved to bucket in front of the open closet with his foot. He stepped up on the bucket so he could reach the top shelf and placed the books there.  
  
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said any of that. I was just trying to start conversation with you. Please, don't be angry with me. We won't get anywhere if you are mad at me."  
  
Her sympathy play seemed to work on everyone, so she expected it to especially work on this boy. Unfortunately, it did not seem to work on him. He came away from the closet for another stack of books. He picked them back up and took them back over to the closet.  
  
"You're still here? Perhaps you didn't hear me the first two times I asked you?"  
  
He came back over from the closet for another stack of books. He had many stacks to take over there. It seemed to Meredith that she had really insulted him. She could not have this.  
  
"I heard you the first time. But, since I'm here, how about I help you straighten up your mess. Which may I say; this is the cleanest room I have ever seen before."  
  
She walked over to the couch to pick up a stack of books. Still no response.  
  
"It will go by much faster, besides..." she said letting out a playful laugh.  
  
"You seem to be struggling a little with that top shelf, Sousuke."  
  
That obviously struck a very sore nerve in Sousuke. He did not bother setting down the books, but instead dropped them from his arms. The books and magazines hit the ground and scattered into a semi-circle on the floor. His face reddened, but this time he wasn't blushing. He quickly and harshly pointed his finger towards the door.  
  
"This will be the third and last time that I ask you politely to leave."  
  
She rose back up from the stack of books and planted her hands on her hips persistently. She tossed her long red hair to the side and looked back over at him with a playful smile.  
  
"And, what will you do if I don't? What if I want to stay here?"  
_

* * *

_The door opened from the inside of Sagara's room. Men had gathered around outside because of the yelling of a man and woman inside the room. Out of the doorway came advisor Rily walking on her tiptoes. She had a pained expression on her face, and her arm was behind her back. Behind her was Sagara holding the arm behind her back in a German arm lock of sorts. Meredith winced and hissed in pain before speaking.  
  
"All right already! I'll leave! You don't literally have to twist my... OW! OW! OW!" she whined in pain.  
  
Sagara had tightened his grip on her arm and lifted further upwards.  
  
"No, it would be polite if I didn't, and politeness isn't something you seem to respond to properly."  
  
He quickly released her and gave a quick shove which sent her stumbling forward and onto her knees. Sagara threw her file which slid to a stop to her right.  
  
"I'll see you in one hour and fourteen minutes. Hopefully, my place will be much more presentable for your scheduled arrival." he said to her before heading back inside and closing the door.  
  
She got up and attempted to rub the soreness out of her shoulder. She picked up her file and walked over to Sagara's door in a hastened pace and banged her hand against it. A resounding "Clang" echoed up and down the hallway, followed by her shout.  
  
"Sousuke, that hurt, you little twerp!"  
  
She kicked the door once for added effect and the people in the hallway parted like the Red Sea as she neared them. This indefinite amount of time she would have to spend with him seemed like it would be a lot longer if it were possible. She now understood why the other advisors gave up on him. But, she had too much pride to quit. He seemed to be stubborn in his ways, but so was she. The following escapades of the two could possibly be reenacted by having two goats square off and constantly ram their stubborn heads together.  
_

* * *

Kaname couldn't help but smile at the way Meredith was telling her story. She talked about it in such an amusing manner.  
  
"So, the first encounter didn't go so well."  
  
"That is the understatement of the century!"  
  
Both let out a bit of full-hearted laughter.  
  
"So, did you go back at the 'scheduled time.'?"  
  
"But, of course! I wasn't about to give up or show any weakness to him!"  
  
"So, did that encounter go any better?"  
  
"A lot better. We didn't get very far. He didn't talk much, and he only answered my questions with minimal information, usually in the form of one word sentences. He never once smiled, laughed, or showed any sort of emotion, no matter how far I probed. But, at least I wasn't requested to leave, or almost have my shoulder dislocated."  
  
Meredith laughed slightly and Kaname smiled. She reached over and got her cup. She took another sip of the tea; it was quite good. It was actually the best she had ever had. She set the cup back on the table, and looked back up at Meredith.  
  
"Was he always that mean?"  
  
"No, usually he was very quite, polite, and conservative. But, he turned completely ferocious when someone brought up anything relative to his young age including his height, which seemed to be the reason that I got my swift punishment on our first encounter. He never liked for people to refer to him as kid, boy, etc. He had this thing about people of lower rank than him calling him 'Sir.' He told me a couple of months after our first meeting that he did not want all of these much taller and larger adults having to literally look down at him and address him as 'sir.' He said that he did not want them to refer to him in such a way until he was at least able to almost look at them eye level. The age and size thing was what set him off the most. I remember he assaulted my superior for calling him 'this punk kid' while playfully ruffling his hair."  
  
Kaname laughed at that part. She could get the image of a young Sousuke attacking someone in brass for being genial with him. She saw a young Sousuke standing there with Commander Kalinin who would be over twice his size. Suddenly, Sousuke latches onto his leg with his teeth and begins growling furiously like a rabid dog. She laughed even more when she pictured the other men having to make him let go by spraying him with soapy water. She found this absolutely hilarious. Meredith did also. Perhaps she was laughing because something similar did happen. Kaname finally stopped laughing after a minute or so.  
  
"So, you guys did finally start getting along?"  
  
"Yeah. It took about four months, though. He was persistent in not opening up to me, but I was persistent in having him open up to me. I finally realized that he was not like other teenagers his age. So, I started doing what people still refer to as 'stalking' him. I followed him everywhere he went for about a week to find out what he did and what he had interest in. Well, he had an interest in everything military. So, for that entire week, whenever I had free time, I studied up on everything military. Soon, I actually knew more about military works than most of the Sergeants did. I was ready to take him on!"

* * *

_The room of Sousuke Sagara was the same as it was when she first met him. He made it a point to keep the place sparkling clean, but he did not care about the interior design of the room. Meredith had just opened the door to see him sitting on his couch reassembling an assault rifle. She was a little bit early today, but she had plans that might require a bit more time. Their usual appointment was from 9:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. The time was 8:27 and Sousuke was still cleaning up from his 'hobby.' It made her feel good that he would clean up every morning before her arrival. He wanted to make sure that the room was perfectly clean for when she arrived. He called it making the room appear 'presentable.' He heard the door open and looked up at her. He gave her a nod and went back to his work.  
  
"Good morning. You're here earlier than I expected." he said stating the obvious.  
  
"It'll take me a little while to put all of these back together. I'll try to hurry."  
  
She walked over to the couch across from his and looked at all of the pieces on the table. There were many different pieces from many different guns. She reached for a piece of one of the guns.  
  
"Here, let me help you." she said as she picked up one of the pieces.  
  
Sousuke quickly reached out and placed his hand over hers gently pushing her hand and the piece back towards the table.  
  
"I'd rather you not. I have them all in separate piles and besides, that's my..."  
  
"Glock 17 9mm autoloading custom pistol." she said finishing his sentence for him and in the process identifying the gun.  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her. She saw that she had managed to spark his curiosity. He actually smirked.  
  
"How did you know that? I can barely tell what that is when it's taken apart."  
  
She let out a sigh and gave him a smirk of her own.  
  
"Time me."  
  
Without another word she picked up two pieces of the gun and began assembling them. Sousuke stared on in amazement that she actually knew how to put it together, and with pretty good speed at that. He watched carefully to make sure that none of the pieces were warped in case she were to try to force them into positions that they were not meant to fit. She made no such mistakes. The assembly was careful and flawless.  
  
"Time!" she exclaimed handing him the gun.  
  
Sousuke looked down at his watch while shaking his head in astonishment. He stuttered out a few 'um's before looking back up at her. He had the most astonished and bewildered look in his eye. And, for the first time she actually saw him smile. The smile was a mixture mostly between astonishment, curiosity, and confusion, but it was a smile.  
  
"Wow! That's amazing. 47 seconds! My Drill Sergeant's record was only 39 seconds! How did you do that?!"  
  
"Well, you see. First, I placed the locking hatch grain underneath the..."  
  
"I know how you did it; I want to know how you know how to do it."  
  
"I work for Mithril too. So, it's not completely unusual for me to know how to completely assemble and disassemble a gun in under 50 seconds." she said in a bragging voice.  
  
Sousuke looked the gun over and checked every mechanism looking for flaws or areas of improvement. There were none that he saw. He looked back at her after setting the hammer back into place.  
  
"That was flawless! I still can't believe that you put my sidearm back together and handed it to me in perfect working condition. And, in just 47 seconds! Wow!"  
  
"Well, thank you, Sousuke! I don't think I have ever received a compliment from you before! I bet you can't beat that time!"  
  
"Well, I would have to try pretty hard."  
  
"Then, how fast can you put one together?"  
  
"My record is 29 seconds on assembly and 28 seconds on disassembly."  
  
Meredith's eyes looked as if they were going to pop out of her head. She had practiced about twenty times since this morning taking apart her sidearm and putting it back together so she could get the time she did.  
  
"There is no way! It takes me longer to disassemble a gun! You can't be capable of disassembling a gun in 28 seconds! That would shatter a world record!"  
  
Sousuke looked at her and smirked. His smirk slowly turned into smile as he looked his gun over and placed his hand on the top of it. It was a true smile: one of happiness and of fun. Meredith had achieved a major task today. No one had ever been able to make Sousuke smile since he had been brought to Mithril. The smile remained on his face as he stood up and cleared his throat. He held the gun by the bottom and top in a strange position.  
  
"Specialist FC, Sagara Sousuke of the 4th Mithril Branch looking to set or break a world record. Time me."  
  
The smile remained on his face for hours.  
_

* * *

Kaname laughed a little about the sense that made. That did seem like a logical way to get close to Sousuke.  
  
"Hey, whatever works, huh?!"  
  
Meredith smiled and leaned further back in her seat.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so. It seemed to be the best way at the time. And, it worked, so I don't regret it. After that we met more often and spent more time together. I was required to be around him at least three hours a day, but it soon turned more into about twelve hours a day since he wasn't quite on active duty, and it was my job to try to spend as much time as possible with him. I think that for about two years I was his only friend. It was easy for us to be friends because of our similar ages. Almost everyone else at the base was almost double our ages, so it was somewhat hard to become more than acquaintances with them. After I revealed that I knew something about military knowledge, we quickly became friends. We started talking whenever we wanted instead of at scheduled times. Within about a week we started spending a lot of time just hanging out. I had the power to give him the right to leave the base if I saw the need, so I did. We started going to the movies quite often. He was one of the harshest movie critics I've ever known. Nothing slipped past his eye unnoticed, and he didn't hesitate to point out the illogical in the middle of the movie to those around him. We were actually kicked out of he movie theatre twice because of that. We both spent a lot of time at the public library since we both had an interest in reading. The only thing that we didn't do was go fishing; that was the one thing that he always preferred to do alone."  
  
Kaname thought about that for a moment. Meredith had spent over half of her time with him for almost two years and he never took her fishing. Kaname had known him for even less time before he took her to his private fishing spot just after the last encounter with Gauron. She now felt kind of honored about that. But, he never did talk to her much about his past. He had said himself that he had told Meredith a lot about his past. She was curious.  
  
"So, did he ever talk to you about his past?"  
  
"Yes, he did. But it took about a year before he started telling me about his past. He would let a minor detail slip every once in a while before that, but nothing major. His past was just as his file said, and there was nothing more to it. He just went into a lot of his war stories. Horrible details that made me feel very sorry for him. But, by this time, he was a completely different person than he was from our first meeting. He actually laughed, joked, and all together had fun. I mean true fun that boys his age should have had. At one point he even joined a football team. He actually started watching the television in his room, and we found him a variety that he enjoyed. He even took up playing the piano and got pretty good at it. Oddly, he enjoyed opera and classical music. That was one thing that didn't change about him. Pretty much, he started acting like a fourteen year boy should. During this time, he talked to me about everything. First, his past. Then, he started telling me about the present, details that I didn't know. He gave me a lot of classified missions that he would be sent on, who was going with him, how long he would be gone, etc. And, that picture over there..." she said pointing at the picture of her and Sousuke.  
  
Kaname looked at the picture and nodded in acknowledgement. She didn't have to look at the picture very long; she already knew every detail of it since she studied the one that was in Sousuke's wallet.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"That was taken at the military ball by Kurtz Webber. He had only been there for about a month, and he and Sousuke were really good friends because of their common personalities and similar ages."  
  
Kaname cringed at that thought: Sousuke being a lot like Kurtz. Meredith laughed at the look on Kaname's face.  
  
"So, I see you've met Kurtz before. Excuse me, Kurtz's special personality trait was something that Sousuke did not share with him, thank goodness! But, back to the picture; it's a tale worth telling. It was the night before that mission."  
  
Kaname did not like the tone in Meredith's voice or the expression on her face when she said 'that mission.' She would ask about this once Meredith was done telling about the picture.  
  
"It was time for the annual military ball. I was going with an older 'gentleman.' At that time I would have just turned 18 and he was 24 I do believe. I was looking forward to it since I was the attention of jealousy among the women at the base. The man was probably the most handsome, well built man at the base. He was very popular and a good soldier at that. He seemed to have no flaws at all. So, I couldn't wait to go to the ball with him."

* * *

_'So which should I wear?' Meredith asked herself mentally. It was a mental struggle choosing between the red, blue, and green dress. She decided she would get another opinion.  
  
"If you were me, which of these would you wear?"  
  
"I wouldn't wear a dress, period. I'm afraid it would clash too much with my... gender."  
  
"All right, Sousuke, now you're just being a smartass!"  
  
Sousuke covered his mouth and tried to cover his laughter with a cough, but failed miserably. The laughter came out in full spring.  
  
"I would much rather be a smartass rather than a dumba..."  
  
"Sousuke!"  
  
His laughter increased by multiples from the way she looked at him. It made her happy to hear him laugh. He was now acting almost like a normal fifteen you old boy. She had accomplished a lot; he had accomplished a lot. He was almost a completely different person than their first meeting almost two years ago. They were now officially best friends. Sometimes though, it was hard to get him to be serious except for when he was on a mission or around his superiors. He was now having fun just like any other boy his age, but he did seem to be much more mature at heart than those ten years older than himself.  
  
"I'm serious. Which of these do you thing I should wear?" she said while holding up the dresses one at a time for him to look at.  
  
"Any of them but the red one." he said like it was the most obvious answer.  
  
"And, why not? I like the red one."  
  
"I don't."  
  
"Why not?! I think it looks great on me!"  
  
"I do too, but that's the problem. It does look good on you, but it shows too much..."  
  
"...skin?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Meredith smirked at him. She had that odd look in her eye that he didn't particularly enjoy.  
  
"But, that's the great thing about it. At least that way I may turn a few heads. It makes a girl happy to see a guy looking at their body sometimes."  
  
"It's not the person looking at you that bothers me; it's what thoughts go through that person's mind that bothers me."  
  
"Well, that's sweet of you; over protective, but sweet. But, you sound like my father."  
  
"Then your father is a good man."  
  
"Hey, you don't know what goes through other men's minds! They may just think that I look pleasant."  
  
"No, I know what they think. I just think about what I would think if I saw you in that and it makes me want to shoot every man in this base, and then turn the gun on myself."  
  
Meredith dropped her expression of annoyance and put on a caring and warm smile.  
  
"So, what you're saying is that you're afraid that other guys will look at me; is that it?"  
  
"Yes. To put it simply."  
  
"I'm just curious; how would you have me dress?"  
  
"Like a gorilla."  
  
Meredith folded over in half laughing. Sousuke soon followed suit once he got the mental picture himself. Every time he looked up at her he started laughing again. This went on for a couple of minutes before they regained a little bit of their composure. Meredith was the first to resume the conversation.  
  
"No, Sousuke. I will not dress as a gorilla. Besides, if I did, do you have any idea how many people would stare at me then?!"  
  
"Well, at least the stares would be justified."  
  
"No! Out of the question!"  
  
"I was only kidding."  
  
"I know, but still, no! I think I will wear the red dress."  
  
"I only offered my opinion. Do as you wish."  
  
Sousuke turned away from her and looked in the mirror to adjust his perfectly adjusted tie and to straighten the nonexistent creases on his shirt and tuxedo jacket. She noticed that something was bothering him, but his face was otherwise unreadable as always. She had no idea as to what had him so upset. She wanted to know, but she didn't want to pry into it out of chances of ruining the entire night for them both by bringing up a bad topic. She walked over to the bed and picked up the blue dress.  
  
"I think I'll wear the blue one. You seemed to like it rather well, didn't you?"  
  
He looked at her through the mirror. He was checking out all angles of the tuxedo he was wearing. Meredith had taken about an hour to help him get ready and properly dressed in the tuxedo. She had brought him back to her room and gave him a hair cut and styled it for him. She had insisted that he stay to provide her with company until her date arrived.  
  
"You should wear what you want. I'm not the one that you are dressing to please."  
  
"I know, but I see wisdom in your words, and I trust your judgment. Besides, who better to tell me what men would like than a man himself."  
  
He liked the way she referred to him as a man. He now considered himself grown up enough and tall enough to be addressed as 'sir' by his subordinates. He was now even height with some of them, and not too much shorter than the others. He smiled at her comment more so than her.  
  
"Thanks. But, whatever your choice is, you better hurry. Your date will be here in what, twenty-three minutes?"  
  
Meredith looked up at the clock on the wall and let out a gasp of surprise. She quickly snatched up her clothes, hastily removed her socks, and ran into the bathroom to get changed. Sousuke laughed quietly to himself when he heard a crash in the bathroom followed by a curse. He shook his head as he walked towards the bathroom door.  
  
"Are you alright in there?" he said with a little bit of laughter still in his voice.  
  
"No, I'm going to be late! I don't want him to have to wait on me!"  
  
"Well, I guess I'll be leaving. I'd say that Kurtz and my date are already waiting on me."  
  
The door opened and Meredith poked her head from around the corner. Her shoulders were bare, but the rest of her was hidden by the wall.  
  
"So, who is your date?"  
  
Sousuke quickly turned his back to her and scratched his constant occurring imaginary itch on his head.  
  
"I... I... uh... don't know. It's just someone that Kurtz told me I needed to meet."  
  
"Sousuke, for crying out loud, you don't need to freak out because you saw my bare shoulders!"  
  
"I... I know that. But, uh... there is a mirror behind you."  
  
There was a shriek followed by the slamming of a door. Sousuke smiled evilly and let out a long whistle of approval.  
  
"Wow! What an eyeful! Wait till I tell Kurtz about this!"  
  
"All right now, you smartass!"  
  
"I would rather be a..."  
  
"Sousuke!"  
  
"I was just kidding; I didn't see anything. I'll be going before I have Armageddon released on me!"  
  
"All right; I'll probably see you at the ball! Have a good time!"  
  
"Yeah, you too. I'll keep an eye out for you."  
  
With that he left out the door snickering to himself at his own joke.  
_

* * *

_ The hall where the ball was taking place was shined to immaculate perfection. Everyone was dressed nice, and there was a live orchestra. Wine was being served around by waiters, and people were standing around conversing. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Everyone, except for Sousuke. There were far too many people here and he was having a hard time finding Kurtz. But, he didn't have to find him, he was soon found by Kurtz._

_ "Yo, Sousuke!"_

_ Sousuke jumped in surprise as he felt a playful slap on his back. That must have been none other than Kurtz Webber. He looked behind him to see his friend and two other ladies beside him. _

__

___ "Hey, Kurtz! Glad you found me; I was about to get lost in this crowd. So, you couldn't settle with just one fine lady, huh?" he said as he nudged Kurtz in the side._

__

_ "Nah, Trish here is just fine for me!" he said pulling the blonde haired woman to his side._

_ The blonde girl, now known as Trish giggled as he leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek. He took his arm from around the other lady. He motioned her towards Sousuke. _

_ "This one is yours! April, meet my best friend, Sousuke. Sousuke, meet April."_

_ Sousuke bowed slightly to the woman before him. She was a bit shorter than he was. She had short, black hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a very revealing black dress, and high-heeled shoes. _

_ "Glad to meet you."_

_ "You too, Sousuke. Damn, you are hot!"_

_ Sousuke was taken back by her comment. He had been told that he was handsome before, but not in such a way like that before. The way that she complimented him did not make him feel very appreciative for some reason. Oddly enough, he did not reply. Kurtz broke the silence._

_ "Well, you guys have a good time! See ya later!"_

April looked up at Sousuke oddly. Most boys had blushed profusely when she laid that line on them.  
  
"What's wrong? Haven't you ever been told that you were hot?!"  
  
"Not in that way precisely."  
  
"Well, excuse me for not being so proper and stuck up! Jeez, are you going to be like this all night?!"  
  
"The possibility is high."  
  
"Oh, great! Kurtz left me with a stick in the mud!" she said playfully.  
  
Sousuke found no amusement in her comment.

* * *

_He had been there for about two hours now. He looked up at the clock. It was now 10:11 p.m. The ball would last till 2:00 p.m. but it was odd for Meredith to not be here yet. She had planned to be there at 8:00 once her date picked her up. Sousuke scanned the hall for her, but he did not see her. Something was wrong since he saw her date standing near a table conversing with other people. She was not with him. He did not want to interrogate him for fear of drawing suspicion. He glanced out the window to see if she was outside. April was busy looking at other men to notice what he was looking at.  
  
"Wow! Look at that hunk! What I wouldn't do to take him home with me! I would ravage him like a wild animal!" she said referring to about the twentieth guy that she had made a similar statement about before.  
  
She seemed to have an increasingly wittier way of stating her sexual desires each time. Sousuke didn't notice most of the time. She had also taken the liberty to point out at least five other guys that she had previously slept with at the ball. Sousuke motioned to Kurtz when he saw him. Kurtz immediately came over to see what his friend needed of him.  
  
"Hey, what's up?"  
  
"Have you seen Meredith? She should already be here."  
  
"No, I haven't seen her all night. Are you sure she didn't have the times confused?"  
  
"I'm sure. That is all I needed; thanks."  
  
Kurtz patted his shoulder before walking back over to Trish. Where was Meredith? He was getting slightly worried about her.  
  
"Looking for Meredith, huh? What's the matter? Are you too much of a man for just me to... handle?" she asked him in a suggestive voice.  
  
He quickly turned his head towards her and glared. He had had just about enough of this woman. Her thoughts, mind, and mouth were so dirty that he felt unclean just walking near her. He curled his lip into a sneer and looked at her like she was a piece of trash.  
  
"Don't talk to me."  
  
Without another word he left out the door of the hall and into the lobby. He left April staring after him with her mouth gaped open. Obviously, she hadn't been used to blunt rejection. Obviously, she hadn't been used to Sousuke.  
_

* * *

  
_Meredith sat in her room reading a book. She was still wearing her dress, and she still looked like she had just got ready to go to the ball. In reality, she still had. This was because her date was supposed to be there at 7:45 to pick her up. The ball started at 8:00 and he still hadn't shown up at 8:45. She had reached him on his cell phone. He had told her that he thought she was just kidding when she asked him if he wanted to go with her. He also said that he was kidding when he told her he would go with her. His reason for 'only kidding' was because she was too young for him and he already had a girlfriend that he was going with. Of course, she didn't believe that for a moment. She had been stood up, and she felt like a fool. All of the sudden, her phone rang. It was Sousuke. He was wondering where she was and if she was alright. She told him everything that happened, and how the man told her that he was 'just kidding.' She felt slightly embarrassed when she started crying to him over the phone, but she was comforted by him. He explained to her that his date didn't go so well either. He said that he would be their shortly.  
_

* * *

_ Sousuke hung up the phone in the lobby. He felt bad for Meredith since she felt so bad that she was crying over the phone. He wanted to go see her, but he had to do something first. He smiled evilly as he walked to the man who was supposed to be Meredith's date. He knew the man personally. He was in a platoon with him. As a matter of fact, Sousuke had been his Drill Sergeant. He also knew something about this man that no one else did. People do strange things when they think people aren't watching.  
  
"Hello, private. How are you tonight?"  
  
The man stopped talking with the people at the table immediately. He quickly rose to his feet almost knocking over the chair he was sitting in. He quickly snapped to attention and saluted his Sergeant.  
  
"Sir, I am doing fine, sir!"  
  
"At ease, private."  
  
The man relaxed and reached his hand towards the woman who had been sitting beside him. She smiled at Sousuke as she rose and said her greeting to him. Sousuke smiled and bowed slightly to her.  
  
"Sir, this is Ziliey, my fiancée. Ziliey, this is Sergeant Sagara, my Drill Sergeant."  
  
"Glad to meet you, ma'am. But, I am sorry to have to be the bearer of bad news."  
  
The man looked at him with confusion on his face.  
  
"Private, I saw you in the bathroom three days ago with an empty heroine injection. Now, I told you that if you got rid of the drugs, I would not report it. But, it seems as if you took my warning lightly. This would put you up for a major demotion, but since you are only a private, that means that you will be set up for a dishonorable discharge."  
  
"But... but, sir! You said that you didn't care as long as I did not distribute it or let it interfere with my training!"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry about that! I didn't think you took me seriously... I was only kidding."  
  
He smiled at the man. His fiancée looked at her future husband in utter disgust and walked away. Sousuke did a mock salute to the man, did an about-face, and walked out the door.  
_

* * *

_ Meredith opened the door when she heard the knock. She knew it was Sousuke. He had called her at close to __10:30__ and now it was only a little after __11:00__. He stood there before her and gave her a solemn smile. She wasted no time throwing her hands around his waist and giving him a warm embrace. He was somewhat surprised by her sudden action, but then let his hands rest in the middle of her back. He looked down at her and rubbed his hand over her back. _

_ "Are you alright?"_

_ "Yeah. I'm just kind of embarrassed and disappointed." _

_ "You shouldn't feel that way; I'm quite sure that the private is feeling enough of that for a dozen people right now."_

_ She released her grip from him and wiped the tear from her eye. She sat down on her bed and looked up at him._

_ "Oh, dear! What did you do to the man, Sousuke?" she said with a stern, yet playful look on her face. _

_ "It is not a problem. I didn't beat him up or anything."_

_ "Good. Well, excuse me for a few minutes, let me change clothes. You can change clothes if you want, I think yours are still over there in the corner." she said as she got up off of the bed and headed for the bathroom. _

_ She was stopped when she felt Sousuke reach out and grab her arm. She turned around to look at him. He smiled slightly as he let go of her arm._

_ "No use in that. We are both dressed up really nice already, so let's go to the ball. There will still be about two hours left when we get there, and Kurtz and his date are already there."_

_ Meredith noticed that Sousuke was blushing. He was scratching that imaginary itch on his head again also. She smiled warmly at him, which only made him blush a bit more. _

_ "Sousuke, are you asking me if I will go to the ball with you?"_

_ "No."_

_ He smiled as he looked back up at her._

_ "I'm telling you to go to the ball with me. I'm sorry if it sounded like you had a choice in the matter."_

_ Meredith laughed at his remark. Sousuke did the same, though his sounded a bit nervous. He reached into his coat and pulled out a rectangle box. He handed it to her while once again scratching that bothersome itch. _

_ "Here. I picked this up along the way. You should have received something from private jackass, so I figured I would have to make up for him. I hope you like it."_

_ Meredith smiled at him as she opened the box. Inside was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. It was adorned with diamonds and had a large, beautiful sapphire stone in the middle, perfectly polished. This seemed to be one of those necklaces that only the movie stars wore. She stared at it with her eyes wide and her mouth gaped open. She was speechless; she didn't know what to say. _

_ "Wow, Sousuke! Thank you, but I can't accept this."_

_ "You better be able to accept it! I've been paying on it for the past year. I meant to give it to you for your next birthday. I hope it makes up for all the other birthday presents that I missed out on getting you. I figured that it seemed appropriate to give it to you tonight since I figured it might cheer you up a little. So… uh… will you go to the ball with me?"_

_ She looked up at him with a tear in her eye. This was the greatest gift anyone had ever gotten her before. She threw her arms around him and gave him a quick hug. _

_ "You are so sweet! Of course, I will!" _

_ "Good. But, let's not be telling people how 'sweet' I am. I do have a reputation to uphold."_

_ Meredith smiled as she looped her arm through his and headed for the door._

_ "Sure, whatever you say, Sousuke."_

* * *

"We were never more than good friends, but that night everyone thought we were. I think that Sousuke made a lot of men jealous that night." she said with a quite laugh.  
  
Kaname felt kind of bad that Meredith had expected more out of Sousuke than being just friends, but she also felt somewhat relieved. That meant that she had been no hindrance to Sousuke's love life. Perhaps Sousuke really did have feelings for her. But, it was too late to find that out. She decided that would be the last thing she needed to talk about now.  
  
"So, you managed to get some human behavior out of Sousuke?"  
  
"Yeah, for almost an entire year he had been acting normal, but that all changed when he went on 'that mission.' And, get this; Sousuke actually influenced normal behavior into those that were similar to those that were once the way he was."  
  
This took Kaname by surprise. She never would have thought that Sousuke would have ever been able to fill in the role of a semi-advisor. This had her attention sparked.  
  
"So, who exactly did Sousuke influence into normalcy, or are you not at liberty to tell me that?"  
  
Meredith motioned her head in the direction of one of the pictures on the wall. Kaname looked over to the picture she had motioned to and then turned around and looked at her with a hint of surprise in her eyes.  
  
"Kevin?!"  
  
"Oh, yes. He probably influenced him the most. Father Kevin Jacobs, infamously known as "The Priest." Kevin was drawn to the service of God from an early age. He grew up in the Vatican after his parents abandoned him. He soon gained physical abilities that surpassed man's maximum capabilities. I've asked him how he got those abilities, but he only says that he is a man of God with the abilities to carry out God's assignments. I'm actually starting to believe him a little since he has Mithril completely baffled about that also. Anyway, there was a period in which the certain branches of the Vatican fell into corruption. Kevin followed this branch without question and without knowing that it was corrupt. He had been ordered to kill a countless number of people in the name of 'God.' And, he did exactly that. I can not give an exact body count. What ended up happening was that no one was able to bring him down, so Mithril sent in one of their teams. Sousuke was in that team. I don't know any details about how it happened, because neither Sousuke nor Kevin would tell me about it, but Sousuke had managed to talk some sense into him. Kevin may not admit it, but it truly troubles him that Sousuke is no longer with us. He told me before he left to get you that he wished that he could have helped Sousuke. It is also because of Sousuke that Kevin helped Mithril when he heard about them needing to protect those that he calls 'God's Gifted.' He is not technically a part of Mithril, he refused to join, but Mithril would have been crazy to refuse his help. I was relocated to this church as a part of my protection under Kevin."  
  
"I understand. That's amazing that Sousuke was able to change Kevin in that sort of way."  
  
"Yes, I don't know if I could have done something like that in only the few minutes that Sousuke talked with him. Kevin only explained to me that he and Sousuke could 'see on the same, even, level.' I guess that he meant that he and Sousuke had had similar loyalty problems."  
  
"I see. You mentioned before about 'that mission.' What exactly happened during 'that mission.'?"  
  
"'That mission,' I believe, had something to do with Sousuke's death. 'That mission' is what caused Sousuke to revert back to his old militirisic self after we had made so much progress in his personality. But, to tell you everything about 'that mission' I would have to start from the beginning and tell you about 'that night:' the night after we got back from the ball. And, that can be a very long story."  
  
Kaname tilted her head slightly, motioned her hands, and gave an awkward smile of confession.  
  
"Well, I don't have anything else to do with my time. So, why don't you go ahead and tell me. That is if it doesn't bother you too bad to tell me."  
  
"No, not at all. Well, that would be a lie to say that it doesn't bother me to remember. But, it is a lot easier to talk about something painful when the other person understands why it pains me."  
  
Kaname nodded her head in understanding. She felt as if she were digging up sacred ruins. She felt a shiver go down her spine. She knew that now she would find out the answer to her questions, no matter how horrible they may be. It was the tone in Meredith's voice.  
  
Or, perhaps it was the imposing shadow cast by the treacherous storm clouds she could see forming outside the window. The rain had once again followed her.  
  
"I had no idea what to expect that night, but I wish I had done or said a little bit more to him. It would be the last time I ever saw him alive."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
  
**Author's Notes:** Yes, that was actually a bit longer than I expected. I had to cut it short so that way it wouldn't span on for twice as long. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know it was long, but bear with me; this is all essential to the plot. I hope it doesn't get too boring for all of you reading my story, but I'm trying to get the story out in the open so everyone knows what is going on. Hopefully, most of your questions will be answered by this chapter and the next. The story will pick back up hot and heavy after the next chapter or two, and I promise that this utterly depressing story will all work out by then. Please, I need some reviews so I know if this story is decent, or if I'm just wasting my time. Hope you enjoyed. Thank you. 


	8. The Signs of the Storm

**Disclaimer:** I make no claim to the series, ideas, or characters of Full Metal Panic.  
  
**Author's Notes:** Thanks to all of you who have read and reviewed my story. I am stopping the story's progression for a little while in order to provide a little bit of the events leading up to the current story. Remember, this is being told by Meredith to Kaname. It is told in third person as another story in order to avoid wrecking the mood with a lot of 'she saids.' I point this out in order to avoid any confusion as to what is going on. The back events are going to be a little bit of a short story within my story. The next three chapters, including this one, will be back events. This is all essential to the story, so please bear with me while the story goes off track for a little bit. As always, reviews are most appreciated. I need a few more since I haven't been getting very many lately. It's making me wonder exactly where my readers went to. I promise that the story will get better, and all of these horrible events will begin working out when the story picks back up. Hope you enjoy.  
  
**The Deathbringer  
  
Chapter 8: The Signs of the Storm  
  
**_By Adam Lakewood Copyright 2004  
_  
Meredith had no problem getting to sleep that night. No trouble at all. She was exhausted, but she had a blast that night. The ball was a lot more fun than she expected it would be. She had gone with Sousuke, and everyone thought that she was his girlfriend. Neither bothered to correct them, though. That was fine. They had more fun as good friends than they could have had with their previous dates. They had dinner over there, had a few drinks, danced a few songs, and Kurtz even took their picture that he claimed would soon become blackmail. During dinner, she had eaten more than she thought she ever had before, and Sousuke stared at the escargot for at least half an hour debating whether of not he should eat it, or what side effects it would have on him if he were to devour the entrée. As far as the drinks; there was a legal drinking age, but who in their right mind would deny their superior and his date a drink. And, neither of them knew what Kurtz could use the picture as blackmail for. Sometimes his mind just worked on a completely different track than others'. She had no problem getting to sleep. No trouble at all, but she did have trouble waking up. She wished desperately she could wake up.  
  
_Meredith looked around from the inside of a glass tube. She had no idea as to where she was at. There was green tinted water in the glass tube with her. She could also see that wires and tubes were connected all over her naked body. Outside of the tube there were four men in the room. They all wore white lab coats. They were talking to each other while viewing many different things on many different monitors throughout the room. She did not know anything except for that she was confused and scared. One of the men turned around to look at her, and then it looked like he said something to another one of the guys at a console. The man nodded in acknowledgement and started pressing a few more buttons on the console. As soon as the final button in his sequence was pressed, Meredith felt an electric shock run through her body. The pain was excruciating; unlike any she had ever felt before. She screamed out in pain, but it could not be heard. Only a few air bubbles formed in the tank as a result of her sudden exhalation of oxygen. This lasted for what seemed like minutes. All the time, the men in the room went up to the tank to observe her and take notes on their clipboards. They also took their time to read some output given by their computers. The pain was the only thing that Meredith could think about. Finally, one of the men looks up at the clock in the room and says something to the others. They either look at their own watches or look up at the clock. The man at the console nods his head and presses a button. The pain finally ceases, though parts of her body are still slightly tingling from the lasting electrical current flowing through her body. The men all lay down their clipboards and leave the room. Meredith looks around the room to take in every aspect of the place. She then looks around inside her tube to look for any possible ways out. She pounds against the glass as hard as she can, but it is still unyielding. When she turns back around, she notices that there is a little girl standing in front of her tube.  
  
The girl is wearing nothing but a set of pajamas and is carrying a plush teddy bear. She looks to be confused and scared. Her eyes seem to be searching for something that cannot be found. It is apparent that the little girl is not one of these people here. She does not know who she is or why she is here, but she does know that this little girl may be her only hope of getting out of here. Maybe then she and the little girl can help each other. She pecks on the glass to get the little girl's attention. No sound is made, but the little girl immediately puts on an innocent smile before turning around to look at her. The little girl no longer looks scared or confused. Now, she has a look of complete happiness and content on her face. Meredith, being a specialist of reading peoples' emotions by their actions, words, or facial expressions, cannot begin to understand what is going through the mind of the little girl.  
  
Suddenly, the little girl takes on an expression of horror and agony. Everything goes black before Meredith's eyes for a split second. When she can see again, the little girl is screaming in agony as to which could be guessed to be caused by the large pieces of jagged metal sticking in her body. Blood is streaming down her face like water from a large piece that is stuck in her head. The blood streams down her entire body to a huge pool of blood at her feat. The little girl then lets out a deafening shriek as she is instantly ignited in flames. Pain once again fills Meredith's body. This time it is worse than before, and she can't even scream.  
_  
Then, she woke up.  
  
Meredith sits up in her bed with a loud gasp. She is sweating profusely and her hair is completely drenched. She takes a quick breath of relief once she realizes that she is in her room, and not being tortured inside of some sort of tube. That was certainly the most horrifying dream she had ever had before. She was still horrified, for the images from her dream kept replaying in her head. Everything seemed to be so real, but now she was safe. She was alone in her room, and no one was there to torment her. A cold chill ran up her spine. The cold chill came from the open window which she had closed and locked before she went to bed. She was not alone in the room. She quickly turned around to glare around the room. It was hard to see, but the moonlight provided enough illumination so that she could see the outlines of things in the room. And, her memory of placement and order was able to identify the outlines of the objects in the room. That is, except for the one right beside her bed. It was moving slightly, and the outline looked like that of a person sitting beside her bed. She had a horrible feeling about this; she hoped that whoever it was hadn't seen her. But, she had made too much noise to not have been noticed. She moved quickly to the corner of her bed furthest from the shadowy outline beside her bed.  
  
"Who's there?!"  
  
"It's me."  
  
The tone of the voice was so casual and unsettling, and the voice was one which she didn't know. It sounded almost haunting and it made her stomach feel as if there was ice in it. The tone of the voice was unlike none she hade ever heard. She was starting to fear the worst, whatever that might be. Hoping to settle her nerves, she called out the first name that came to mind.  
  
"S...Sousuke?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
That time the voice sounded like Sousuke. She sighed in relief before moving to the edge of the bed. She stood up and headed towards the light switch.  
  
"Leave the lights off."  
  
She was confused by his command, but did as she was told. She had no idea as to why Sousuke was here, and why he had not made his presence known earlier. She sat back down on her bed and moved to the edge to where Sousuke was sitting and leaned against the wall. Something was wrong; she didn't know what, but she knew that something was horribly wrong. Sousuke was oddly silent. She started the conversation the only way she could think of.  
  
"Sousuke, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I couldn't sleep."  
  
She waited, expecting he would say something else. He did not.  
  
"Well, why didn't you wake me up?"  
  
"Just because I can't sleep, doesn't mean that you shouldn't be able to sleep also."  
  
"Then, why are you in my room if you didn't want to talk?"  
  
"I wanted to make sure you were alright."  
  
Meredith was somewhat surprised and confused by his statement. It was a coincidence that he was in her room when she had the most horrible dream of her life. Maybe, it was a coincidence. And, he was so quite that it bothered her. And, the tone in his voice was so serious and solemn.  
  
"Why? What makes you think that I wouldn't be alright?"  
  
"I don't know. I think I had a bad dream."  
  
Meredith smiled to herself. Earlier that night she had found a deep attraction to the person who was now sitting on her floor. She felt as if this were the person she wished to be with. Now, she felt as if she were a mother comforting her child after he had a nightmare. She was broken from her thought by an increased tone in Sousuke's voice. He sounded more excited, but not in a good way.  
  
"Something is going to happen. It is going to happen soon; something bad. Something bad, beyond our wildest dreams is going to happen soon."  
  
Meredith was starting to think of this as a bit more than a coincidence. She was now scared again. Sousuke was talking illogically. Sousuke never talked illogically, or thought illogically for that matter. She needed to take him seriously.  
  
"What, Sousuke? What is going to happen?"  
  
"If I knew, I wouldn't be here! I would be out doing something about it!" he snapped at her a lot more than he meant to.  
  
It was obvious that he was upset. He was upset because he knew something bad was going to happen and he didn't know what it was. He was upset because he knew something bad was going to happen and he had no basis to believe that. He was upset because he was thinking illogically but it all seemed to make so much sense to him.  
  
"Sousuke?" she said trying to get his attention.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
She thought for a moment, thinking her question would seem to be strange and out of place, but this entire conversation was anyway. It wouldn't hurt anything.  
  
"What exactly did you dream about?"

He thought for a moment, trying to recollect what he had dreamed about. It was horrible. It was only a bunch of flashes, but each and everyone of them was horrible. He sighed and placed his forehead in his palm for support. He remembered it well and it made perfect sense to him, but how could he explain it when he wasn't even sure as to what he had dreamed.

"I don't know. It was all a bunch of flashes of different things, and people."  
  
"Do you know what the flashes were of?"  
  
"Yes. There was chaos. Chaos in different scenes featuring me, you, Kurtz, Jack, Eagle, everyone else on this base, and plenty of people that I've never seen before. I don't know what I dreamed about."  
  
"I see. I also had a horrible dream. I dreamed I was in some sort of glass container which was in a room with all of these other scientist looking people who seemed to be running some sort of experiments. I also saw a little girl who scared me more than anything else. She was..."  
  
She jumped in surprise as Sousuke quickly moved from his sitting position to a kneeling position beside her. His hand quickly shot out and tightly gripped her shoulder. His grip was so tight it hurt. His hand began shaking as he relaxed his grip on her shoulder. His breathing was shaky also, but he managed to speak.  
  
"Listen to me. I have to go on a mission. It is a 'Drop and Run' mission. We are assassinating an illegal arms dealer in Cuba. Commander Richard Mardukas of the 21st Mithril Branch has specifically hand-picked the soldiers who would be going and I am the one he chose to lead the batch. I will be leaving this base tomorrow and I want you to do the same."  
  
The last statement caught her by surprise. He was asking her to leave while he was gone on the mission. He knew that she was confused by his request, but he had to get it out.  
  
"I want you to leave out when I do. I do not want you around this base until after I get back. I may just be acting stupid, but I feel like something bad is going to happen, and I don't know what it is. The highest probability is that it could be an attack on this base, and I don't want you around here if something like that were to happen. Do you understand?"  
  
"No, I don't understand! I will not, I repeat: will not, leave here while you are on a dangerous mission, expecting something to go wrong! What if something were to happen to you while you were on that mission?"  
  
"Then, there would be nothing you could do about it."  
  
"What if you come back injured?"  
  
"Then, there would be nothing you could do about it."  
  
"What if you come back dead?!"  
  
"Then, there would be nothing you could do about it."  
  
"Damn it, Sousuke! That is not what I want to hear! I want to hear something reassuring!"  
  
"I will not lie. I believe that something is going to happen on the mission more than I believe it will happen anywhere else. I just want you out of here to be sure nothing happens to you."  
  
"I'll only leave if you leave with me!"  
  
"Negative. That would be impossible. It would also be illogical to the request that I am making in the first place. I expect that the mission will probably go wrong, but there is still the chance that this 'bad thing' is going to happen. But, that is unlikely, but it will still be on my mind while I am on the mission. It will make me feel much more at ease and capable of carrying out the mission if I had no worries while I was there."  
  
"Why? You are expecting something bad to happen on the mission, but you are still going?!" Why?!"  
  
"I am going especially because I expect something bad to happen. I will be ready for whatever it is, and it would probably happen regardless of whether I was there or not. I cannot let something bad happen to my team if I could possibly avoid it. So, I am going there, expecting something to happen, and expecting to avoid it."  
  
"No! I will not leave here unless you come with me! I wouldn't be able to stand it if I were to lose you!"  
  
Her voice began to crack at the end of her statement. She buried her head in her pillow in hopes of stopping her tears. Sousuke let out a sigh when he heard her light sobs. He lowered his forehead into the palm of his hand. He shook his head.  
  
"Then, as your commanding officer, I will have you removed as my advisor and have you moved to 41st Mithril Branch in the United States. That is, if you leave me with no other choice."  
  
Meredith was greatly surprised by his words. She then smiled to herself.  
  
"You really are worried about me aren't you?"  
  
Both knew that the question did not need an answer; it was obvious, so there was no answer provided by Sousuke.  
  
"I know you don't want rid of me, do you?"  
  
"No, that is the second to last thing that I want in this world. The first is losing you, so if I have to, I will go with the second to avoid the first." he replied in a stern, determined voice.  
  
"If you are that worried about it, I will leave. But, only until you return, then I want you to come and get me. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes. Well, I couldn't come and get you, but I could dispatch a plane to pick you up, and..."  
  
"No, I want you to come and pick me up. We both need a vacation anyway."  
  
Sousuke laughed slightly. He managed to put a smile on his face. Her way of thinking amused him sometimes; sometimes it annoyed him; and at other times it made a lot of sense. He nodded his head in agreement.  
  
"Alright. I will come to pick you up in America once I get back, and we will even take a tour of the country while we're there, but you have to go exactly where I tell you to go. Deal?"  
  
"Alright. But, I want you to call me as soon as you get back. Agreed?"  
  
"Affirmative. I will probably be back in about a week. Tomorrow, I will put in for about a month's vacation for when I get back. Please, try not to worry; whatever happens, I can deal with it as long as I am expecting it, and now, I am expecting it."  
  
"You certainly do have an odd way of cheering people up; don't you?"  
  
"Well, I _am _Sousuke Sagara. I have many different talents, and I suppose that would be in my inventory of skills. As for the strangeness of it, it does not matter what method is used as long as the chosen method is..."  
  
"Alright, Sousuke, I get the picture. You don't have to give me an entire lowdown of it."  
  
"I understand. You _are_ Meredith Rily. You have many different talents, and I suppose that would be in your inventory of..."  
  
"Sousuke!" she said with an amused chuckle.  
  
He ended his statement when he heard her chuckle. He hated it when he brought about a depressing mood, but as long as he was able to remedy it, it didn't really bother him. He smiled to himself; in the darkness where no one else would know except for him. He leaned his head against the wall and let out a tired sigh. He grunted lightly as he rose from his comfortable position on the floor. He stretched his back and let out a tired yawn.  
  
"I suppose I'll be heading back to my room now. I have kept you up long enough, and the morning will come before we know it. We both need our rest."  
  
He stretched one last time before heading to the door. He opened it and stepped outside. He poked his head back in the door one final time.  
  
"Sleep well."  
  
"I'll try. Good night, Sousuke."  
  
With that the door closed. Meredith let out a long sigh. She felt as if she had been holding her breath. She also felt odd, uneasy, uncomfortable. She felt as if a part or her, mostly her nerve, had left out that door with Sousuke. He had done a very good job at reassuring her, but she could still not help but feel as if the worst could still happen. What if he never came back again after tomorrow? What if she never got to see him again? Would the entirety of tonight be enough to possibly be letting go of him forever? There seemed to be a strong possibility, an irrational possibility, but a strong possibility none the less that she may not see him again after tomorrow. What could she do?  
  
She could sleep.  
  
She could sleep and not give that foolish thought another second of her time. Sousuke was young, but he was a professional, more professional than most of the soldiers on this base. Nothing bad would happen to him. She would see him off in the morning, she would leave to America when he left, and she would return to see him when he got back. They were both overreacting to all of this. Nothing bad would happen, and she knew this. So... why was she still feeling uneasy? Why had she laid in bed now for over twenty minutes thinking about this? Why could she not go to sleep?

* * *

"Ninety-one" said the whisper of Sousuke as the sand bag shifted slightly from the heavy force of his kick.  
  
Sousuke was in his room, and had been for the past forty-two minutes since he left Meredith's room. He knew he should be tired, but he wasn't. Was he still concerned about what may happen tomorrow? Yes. He was very concerned. As much of a professional as he was; something could still go wrong. Something that could easily cost him his life. Accidents happened to professionals all the time in their fields. There had been many accident reports with the professional paratroopers and their profession was nowhere near as dangerous as his was. Accidents could happen to anyone. If he went on this mission, he may never see the light of day again. He would never get to see his home again. He would never be able to see his friends. He would never be able to see Meredith. As slim as a possibility it was, it still bothered him considerably. He felt more at risk now than he ever did while taking enemy gun fire. But, this was somehow different.  
  
"Ninety-two."  
  
The sandbag shifted again as sweat poured from his bare leg. This time the kick had more force behind it. He stopped for a moment and wiped the stream of sweat from his face. If he could not get this off of his mind and be able to go to sleep on his own, he would send himself to sleep from exhaustion. Perhaps he should have stayed with Meredith a little bit longer. She seemed to be able to comfort him with just her presence. He did not want to leave in the first place, but it seemed to be the most logical thing to do since people do need sleep in order to function at their fullest. But, what had he done that seemed to be like a half-way logical thing tonight. He had discharged one of the best soldiers in the base for insulting Meredith. He had given her the birthday present early because he thought it would make her feel better. He had confided in her about his dream. He was taking drastic steps and worrying about a dream that he had, and a dream that she had. It was illogical for him to want to be with her right now. It was illogical to want her near him, to hear her voice, to hold her. It was not to be considered in the least bit logical thinking for a soldier.  
  
"Ninety-three."  
  
Screw logic. She had been trying to tell him that since their first week together two years ago. Perhaps now, he understood that. Perhaps he understood that long ago and only now understood that he understood all along. Talk about illogical. Perhaps logic, like a weapon, should only be used when it best suits the purpose.  
  
"Ninety-four."  
  
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It did not surprise him in the slightest that someone would be knocking at the door at 4:12 in the morning. He opened the door and still was not surprised to see Meredith standing before the doorway. She was standing there still oddly dressed in her sleep attire and holding a pillow. He looked at her oddly before she spoke.  
  
"I couldn't sleep."  
  
"Me neither."  
  
He opened the door wider and motioned for her to come in. She hesitantly stepped inside. She walked over and sat on his couch. He soon came over and took a seat beside her. She was not nervous being around Sousuke, but she felt nervous about being here under these odd circumstances. She did not know quite what to say without sounding awkward to him for her being here. She decided she would just speak what was on her mind.  
  
"Sousuke, I'm scared."  
  
"Me too.  
  
His short and sudden reply took her by surprise. She had never heard Sousuke admit to anything that he may consider showing weakness of character. Being scared was one of those things. He wasn't being very talkative, thus, suggesting that something was bothering him. She did not need to ask what it was; she already knew. She wouldn't be here if she didn't. Just being in the same room as him made her feel a little bit better. She inched a little bit closer to him. Sousuke glanced over at her when he noticed her move closer to him. He had a little bit of a nervous look in his eyes as he quickly glanced away from her.  
  
She shivered slightly and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. It was very cold in here. The leather couch was cold through her thin gown, and the floor was cold against her bare feet. She moved a bit closer to where her shoulder almost touched his. She felt a very strong attraction to the man sitting next to her. She would have immediately declared her love to him, but did not feel as if that would be suitable, or at least not at the moment. She opened her mouth several times before finally finding the simple, yet most difficult words to speak.  
  
"I... want to be here with you tonight."  
  
He turned around to look at her now. He was still in deep thought, and his stare was cold. His eyes were as cold as the room they were in. This caused her to shiver again and tighten her arms around her shoulders. She pulled her knees up close to her. His look was enough to turn someone to stone. She looked away from him and towards the table. Without warning he got up and walked off behind the couch.  
  
That was not the response she had wanted from him, and now she was regretting she had ever said those words to him. She felt exposed to him, vulnerable, and now she felt as if he had pierced a knife into that vulnerable spot. His voice interrupted her from her train of thought.  
  
"You're cold?"  
  
His voice had a friendly tone once again. She felt the ice thaw out of her stomach from his warm voice. She was relieved that her words had not shunned him away from her.  
  
Sousuke placed a hand on the back of the couch and leapt over into a seated position beside of her. He had a blanket in his other hand. She smiled as he wrapped the blanket tightly around her, pulled her close to him, and wrapped his arms tightly around her as he leaned up against the arm of the couch. She was somewhat taken back by his actions, but she soon relaxed into his embrace and rested her head on his chest.  
  
"You know, I was thinking the same thing before you came. Not that I was cold, but that I really wished you were with me."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She snuggled in deeper to him and closed her eyes. She let out a content sigh.  
  
"Sousuke?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I feel like I can do anything when I'm around you."  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
Sousuke shifted downwards a little bit and laid with Meredith in his lap for a couple minutes before shifting around again. Then, he shifted again. He seemed to be having a hard time getting comfortable.  
  
"Are you comfortable?" he said while peering down into her eyes.  
  
She tilted her head back to look him in the eyes. She smiled at him warmly.  
  
"No. But, I don't care as long as I'm close to you."  
  
He blushed slightly at her reply and scratched that imaginary itch on the back of his head as he looked over his shoulder at nothing in particular.  
  
"That may be so, but I don't think this side of the couch is big enough to hold the both of us, or at least not comfortably."  
  
"Well then, we could get down in the floor."  
  
He smiled in amusement at her suggestion. He raised an eyebrow at her as he looked back down at her. He then spoke with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.  
  
"Yeah, that's a great idea! The thin carpet on the floor is padded underneath by solid, cold concrete. We would sleep like logs!"  
  
She laughed at his sarcastic remark. She also laughed at his lack of innuendo. He was more knowledgeable on things that people his age should be knowledgeable of than he once was, but not all things. She looked up at him, raised an eyebrow at him, and put a smirk on her face.  
  
"Sousuke, I wasn't planning on sleeping."

* * *

The beaming of the sun on Meredith's eyelids brought her out of her state of slumber. The beams of sun signified a new day. A new day signified a new feeling of dread. This was especially so since Sousuke was nowhere to be found. Instead of seeing his sleeping figure on the pillow next to her on the floor, there was only a folded piece of paper. Sousuke was already gone. He had left without making a sound, or saying a word. She sat up on the floor and pulled the sheet around her bare body. She shivered, not because of the room still being cold, but at the realization that he was gone. She let out a sigh before taking the piece of paper in her hands. It was a note from Sousuke.  
  
_Meredith,  
  
Good morning. I'm sorry that I was not here when you woke up. I'm sorry that I wasn't here to say goodbye. I hope you will be able to forgive me once I get back; I'm sure you will. I wanted to tell you goodbye; I really did. But, after all of last night's events, I'm not sure as to my feelings about you anymore. I know my feelings; I just don't know what to call them. One thing is for sure; I care about you a lot. The last thing I wanted this morning was to see you hurt. And, I know that it wouldn't have taken you more than a few words to convince me to stay. For fear of this happening is why I left without waking you.  
Our deal we made last night still stands. I have made all arrangements this morning to have you relocated to America. It seems as if your vacation will start a little sooner than mine since you will not be going to a Mithril base. I have contacted an old acquaintance of mine to come pick you up this evening. I trust him just as much as I trust myself to take care of you while I am gone. He is a very nice man; I'm sure you will enjoy his company in my absence. If my bad, if not foolish, feelings concerning your safety should turn about, he is a very skilled man who is quite capable of protecting you. His name is Father Kevin Jacobs, but he will probably insist on you calling him Kevin. He will be there at 7:00 p.m. He is a good man; please trust him as you would me. He will give you more details once he arrives.  
Please, don't worry about me. Whatever happens, I will be ready for it. I swear to you that I will return. I am not exactly sure as to when, but it will probably be no less than a week, no longer than two. When I return, we will go on vacation as planned. We will have a blast since there will be no 'military interference' in our recreation time. I will be back before you know, so please, have a good time while I am away; Kevin will make sure to it. Do not be concerned about me; everything will be just fine.  
  
No worries,  
  
-Sousuke  
_  
Meredith laid the note on the couch beside her and let out a sigh. She got up off the couch and began the search for her clothes. She needed to be leaving, for she had a lot of stuff to pack before Kevin got there. She would leave with Kevin as Sousuke had told her, and she would wait for his return. She would try her best not to worry about him.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED


	9. The Rising of the Deathbringer

**Disclaimer:** I make no claim to the series, ideas, or characters of Full Metal Panic.  
  
**The Deathbringer**  
  
**Chapter 9: The Rising of the Deathbringer  
**  
_By Adam Lakewood Copyright 2004  
_  
_He comes here often. This place is known to very few people. Very few people meaning only himself.  
  
There is hardly anything here worth seeing, or worth coming around. It is simple, but he still loves it. He is in the middle of a forest. It is dark out and the crisp, cool, night air is always welcome as often as it is blowing. The moonlight provides little illumination through the heavy covering of trees. The most of the illumination is provided by the numerous lightning bugs gently flying through the air, making sure to stay clear of his personal space. His personal space is the water. The water is in a small indention in the ground that is no more than knee deep and is not even wide enough for a person to stretch out across. The pool of water is unnaturally clear for the area. It is the freshest of the fresh provided by the small waterfall spilling into the pond. He sits inside of the pool with the water covering his crossed legs. He sits with his eyes closed in a meditative state taking in the feel of the cool water, the sound of the waterfall pouring behind him, the sound of the crickets as they chirp lightly in the night, and the feel of his entirely relaxing surrounding.  
  
He can feel it all. His position in the wind. The drift and flow of the water. The warmth of the moon. His spirit in the ebb and flow of the earth. All of this can be felt during his meditation, but only at this spot. No one can get this sort of benefit from this place as he can. Many envy him for it though. A lot of people know about it even though they have never been or cannot find it. He has been told by many that this would be a writer's haven, an artist's paradise, or a soldier's best friend. There is nothing special about this place. It is plain, hollow, and he has no one and he never will have anyone to share it with. It is hidden away from all of humanity, never to be found, never to be shared.  
  
But, he comes here often.  
  
Some may call it his 'place of escape', or his 'haven of solitude', or his 'own little private place, or his 'realm of meditation. He likes to call it his mantra.  
  
Mantra is a common military practice that has been used for many years. It is to have the impact on a soldier what they wish at that moment. It is exactly like meditation, but used to have more than one fundamental effect. Finding a personal mantra and learning to control can put a person into whatever state or mood they need to be, but the foundation of the mantra is always the same. A mantra can be peace, chaos, love, fear, happiness, bliss, or any other emotion of the person's preferred preference. Sousuke's personal mantra happens to be relaxation in the form of his own private place, formed to his liking. He can use this emotion of fundamental relaxation to bring about any other state that he wishes, though it is generally used for relaxation. It is not limited to relaxation and can be used to clear the mind for logical thinking under pressure, or create an adrenaline rush while under calm circumstances. These among other things can be achieved through the use of the mantra.  
  
The waterfall sounds louder than normal. Almost as if it is coming down in spurts. No, it sounds more like sudden gushes of wind. No, it is the swiping of the wind. It is the sound of helicopter blades cutting through the air. Is that a voice? Yes. Listen carefully; it is saying to you...  
  
"Sir!"  
  
The sound comes along with the accompanying sound of a loud, running engine and the rapid rotation of helicopter blades through the air.  
_  
"Sir!"  
  
Sergeant Sagara's eyes flash open in surprise. He is no longer in his peaceful surrounding, but is instead surrounded by green metal on all sides of him with five other people sitting against the walls dressed in military fatigues. The air is no longer a cool breeze, but instead it is hot and humid. The peaceful sounds of the waterfall and the chirping of the crickets is replaced by the loud, drum-pounding, sound of an engine. He is inside of the helicopter. The helicopter he was put on in order to be rushed to Cuba on a 'Drop and Run' mission. His mantra was interrupted, and the dreadful feelings of the morning and last night returned to him. But, now was not the time to think about what all can go wrong. Now is the time for strategy. Now is the time for finding ways to prevent those things from happening. When they touched down, he would be fully responsible for his team. A group of five people would be taking orders from this person who was yet even technically an adult. He would be the one they would be counting on to get them home alive should anything go wrong. No pressure though. He looked over to the voice that was calling to him. It took him a moment to focus, but soon realized that it was Jill, his second in command.  
  
"Sir!"  
  
He shook his head slightly, hoping to better his focus on her. He knew that his team was skeptical about having such a young leader, and he didn't want to give them any reason to be. Being unable to focus after a mantra was a good reason that he could not allow them to have. His vision cleared and her voice became clearer.  
  
"Yes, Corporal, what is it?  
  
"Sir, we are in range proximity of the landing point. Should I PR scan the area for hostile activity?"  
  
Obviously, his focus hadn't quite returned to him yet. Perhaps he hadn't had enough sleep. Maybe the stress was getting to him. Whatever it was, it was interfering with his ability, and he didn't like it. He could hear the words, but he wasn't quite capable of making sense of them. He let out a sigh of disgust and shook his head again. He took in a deep breath before speaking to her again.  
  
"Hostile activity? What do you..."  
  
He let out a groan of frustration and clamped his hands to his head as if to hold it together. He sighed once again and looked back up at her.  
  
"Relay, repeat. The question was not understood."  
  
He heard quite snickering as he lowered his head. He looked over at one of the men against the wall. The man kept his eye on him as he leaned over to the guy on his left and whispered something into his ear. Jill snapped around quickly to look the man hatefully in the eye.  
  
"Shut your fucking mouth, Black! This man is your leader on this mission; treat him like it! I will not have you talking trash about him!"  
  
Black, a middle-aged man from Scotland, smirked in reply. He threw up his hands in mock defeat.  
  
"Whatevea ye say, but ahm just not too crazy about taking orders froom a kid who doesn't even know the lingo. I feel more like I'm baby sittin ere!" he said with a thick Scotish accent.  
  
Sousuke felt his stomach drop. Those words struck home, but he actually felt as if he deserved it. He was after all, showing weakness; something that was not allowed in his profession. He knew he could do better than this, but he had already failed at first impressions, and worse, his subordinate felt so sorry for him that she was standing up for him to someone who was also his subordinate. She saw the look on his face and turned around once again with a spark of anger in her eye.  
  
"This 'kid' is Sergeant Sagara, and he is your superior! You will treat him like your superior, or else you will have to answer to me. Got that?"  
  
Black did a mock salute as he let out a laugh.  
  
"Sure. Whatevea ye say, sir!"  
  
He snapped back to attention and fell down in his seat laughing. Jill turned back around to Sousuke and sighed.  
  
"I'm sorry, Sir. Please, excuse Black; I will deal with him later. He is has a superiority complex and tends to be a bit of a rebel. I wouldn't even put up with him if he weren't such a damn good combatant. I'm very sorry for his behavior, sir."  
  
He finally looked back up at her and smiled.  
  
"Don't worry about it. And, thank you."  
  
She looked at him oddly. He realized his mistake when he actually showed gratitude to his subordinate. Another sign of weakness. He cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject. He raised an eyebrow when he looked back up at her. She was still staring at him oddly.  
  
"I believe I asked for a 'Relay, repeat' that I never received."  
  
Jill quickly snapped her eyes in realization. She quickly and nervously looked back down at the folder she had in her hand. She cleared her voice nervously before continuing.  
  
"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. Relay, repeat: We are in range proximity to the landing point. Should I PR scan the area for hostile activity?"  
  
"Yes, Corporal. Be on specific lookout for guards. They would probably not be in close proximity to one another, but would be placed in strategic locations. They should not be close to our touch-down point unless the area is heavily guarded. Give me an exact number at coordinates spanning from B4/C12, B4/C21 all through the radius up to B8/D2, B8/D17. Note patrol patterns and land elevation changes. If patrol is within .4 kilometers of our touch-down point, then call for relocation. Commence."  
  
"Yes, Sir!"  
  
Jill snapped a quick salute of which he returned. She moved away to the other side of the helicopter and began situating equipment for scanning. Sousuke looked over at Black and the man sitting beside of him. Black kept his eyes locked on his as he nudged the man in the ribs. He smirked as he spoke to the man.  
  
"Ay, geta load of that, KB. De kid actually seems like he knows what he's talkin about!" said Black before he began laughing.  
  
The man beside him only shook his head at his bellowing friend.  
  
"KB, I need your help over here. And, bring that funky gadget that you use for everything." shouted Jill from behind their huge crates of equipment and supplies.  
  
"Sure thing. And, that 'funky gadget' that you keep referring to is an Eciplion manufactured KLTM high frequency wave receptor."  
  
"Just bring it over here would you?"  
  
"Yeah, just a second; let me find it."  
  
KB, the group's self-proclaimed 'techie' started sorting through his hand bag of electronics. He was much disorganized, but he seemed to know exactly where everything was in the bag. He was a little bit shorter than Sousuke, he had brown hair, blue eyes, and he wore a pair of glasses and an American baseball cap. He was said to be the best technician and electronics expert in the entire 1st Mithril Division. His name was Kyle Burton; everyone called him KB after kilobyte since he was a master of computers.   
Jill Braxton, the second in command under Sousuke, was claimed to be a great leader. Fully capable of inspiring troops with just a few words. She was also a great tactician to boot. Why Sousuke was in command of this group instead of her, no one knew. Jill was a very nice person, but had a short fuse attached to her highly explosive temper. She found a home in the military at first because she needed a learn discipline since she someday wished to be a mother. The military life was a little bit more appealing than she had hoped it would be, and she seemed to fit in perfectly. So, here she is at twenty-eight years old, and expected to be out of here, married, and with two children and a white picket fence by the time she turned twenty-one. The military has a way of trapping people like prisoners. Prisoners that choose to be there.   
Roland Black, a proud Scot was renowned for his combat prowess in every field. He scored incredibly high as a marksman. He set three different records for the basic training obstacle course. He was also the 1st Mithril Division's martial arts instructor: black-belt in eight different styles of martial arts. He had heard some say that he was a hero straight out of a comic book. This man was also a rather good tactician. His skills made him well-rounded to be the perfect soldier. But, then there was his attitude. He was much more of a qualified soldier than most people were; the problem was that he knew this. It angered him when he saw someone of higher rank than he was who didn't deserve it as much as he did, and he didn't hesitate to voice his opinion to the person of higher rank. He was quick to judge people, most of the time for the worse. And, he was a constant braggart. More than himself, he loved to talk about how grand of a country Scotland was. Get him talking about Scotland, and his mouth would turn into a river, constantly moving and never stopping.   
Chief, who claimed to be the last of the true Cherokee Indians, had a name that was hard to pronounce and even harder to remember. Thus, everyone called him Chief. Chief was... traditional to his blood. He never spoke unless spoken to and even then with short replies. He was an odd one. He refused the use of all technology, saying that the world was corrupted by the use of technology and needed to revert back to the 'old ways.' He refused the use of technology even in the field where he refused to use any sort of communications equipment of even guns. Even his primitive weapons were hand made. He was a master of wilderness survival and could track a fly through the jungle. He was also very keen of the eye and ear. He would notice a lot of things just through his five basic senses that no other man or machine could pick up.   
Finally, there was Malcolm Inde. Every group needed their medic in case of emergencies. Malcolm was their medic. Unlike everyone else, he was not the best in his field. But, that was not his only purpose. Malcolm was a jack-of-all-trades. He was to be a second opinion. He was also to take the place of one of the others in case something was to happen to them. Malcolm was quite. He spoke not much more than Chief. Most believe him to be really shy, but a quick glance into his eyes reveal something else that takes up the most of his time and thought process. Not many people see it, but Sousuke can. Focus and determination to the objective at hand is paramount to this man. Sousuke understands this way of thinking more than anyone.  
  
"Excuse me, Sir?"  
  
Sousuke quickly snaps out of his line of thought and into the in-line of the current task. He looks over to see that the request for attention came from KB.  
  
"Yes? What is it?"  
  
KB quickly takes off his ear phones and takes a final glance at his radar screen.  
  
"Sir, this is strange. There are absolutely no guards anywhere around the area. The only thing around here is a small house; not a large mansion like I had originally assumed."  
  
"Are you sure? That can't be. No illegal arms dealer would be without his security. Check again; we have to be sure."  
  
"Affirmative, sir. But, this would be the fourth time I've checked. The previous two scans yielded the same results as the first. There are no guards around the area. I can only pick up two heat sources coming from within the small house. Could we possibly be at the wrong place?"  
  
Sousuke knew the answer, but he rechecked the map anyway.  
  
"No, this is the place. I'm sure of it. But, I am still confused by this. If I were this man, I would be expecting an attack by someone like us. So, why isn't he..."  
  
Sousuke paused for a moment as his previous feelings of dread merged with his previous statement. _I would be expecting an attack...  
_  
"Ambush."  
  
KB and Jill looked up from the screen to look at him with puzzled looks. Malcolm and Black turned their heads to look at him with skeptical looks on their faces. Chief, who was previously in deep meditation, even contorted his face into that of one of confusion. Sousuke ignored the odd looks he was receiving and continued on with his explanation.  
  
"This has to be an ambush. They must have been expecting us. We need to turn back. KB, radio through to direct contact with Commander Richard Mardukas. Tell them this is an urgent call of priority from Sergeant Sousuke Sagara, leader of Team Alpha 5-2."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Corporal Jill Braxton looked towards him with a questioning look.  
  
"Sir? You wish to turn back? This couldn't be an ambush. There is no way they could know we were coming."  
  
"I know. But, I have the worst feeling about this."  
  
He left out the part about having this feeling since last night because of a dream. They seemed to not trust him enough the way it was; the last thing they needed to know was that he felt uneasy because of a dream. The Scot would get a big kick out of that. Hearing his statement, Malcolm stood up from his position and walked over to Sousuke. He snapped a quick salute before speaking.  
  
"With all due respect, sir, as your second opinion I would like to point out the strategic advantage of our given position. There are no guards and nothing around for miles. The area is smaller than expected. There are only two people in the house. I would guess that an area this small would not be the main estate, but more of a summer getaway. Security is not so tight here. The two heat sources would most likely be the target and his single bodyguard. It would be foolish to give up such a strategic advantage. The difficulty of our mission at this point would be reduced by a tenfold."  
  
Sousuke sneered in agitation. There was something about this man that he didn't like. His words made since, but he was saying what he was for the better of the team. He wasn't quite sure as to what the man's intentions were. The advice sounded good, but it did not coming from this source.  
  
"Thank you, _Corporal._ But, I am very aware of the strategic advantage we may have. I have been a guerilla fighter in my childhood. I have had more field experience than any of you in this chopper. I have seen this many times where you, _Corporal,_ have not. My job is to make sure that I make the best decisions concerning my team. That is what I am trying to do."  
  
"Well, ye don't seem to be doin a very good job at it. What is it day say? Don't send a boy to do a man's job." said Black while grasping his chin in consideration.  
  
Sousuke quickly turned around with a look in his eye that sent a chill up Black's back. As quickly as he turned around, he brought up his finger and pointed it at Black. It was a gesture of insult, intimidation, and challenge all in one.  
  
"And, you, Private. Need to watch it! I cannot threaten to have you discharged with only simply disrespecting your superior, so I will have to shut you up by other means. And, I will, one way or the other, make you silent."  
  
The Scot stood up and walked imposingly over to Sousuke. The man towered over him. It was like comparing David to Goliath. The man's smirk faded from his face when he saw that the determined look was not fading from his superior's face. For the first time in a long time, he had failed to intimidate his target. In this case, he failed to intimidate a kid. Worse, the look in kid's eyes frightened him. He felt as if he could get lost forever in those endless hollows. Or, that they were pathways leading into the fiery depths of Hell itself. He turned around quickly and headed back for his seat. He felt a sudden pressure on his arm that would not let him move. He looked down to see Sousuke's hand gripping his arm. He turned around to glare at his superior.  
  
"And, don't you ever try to stare me down."  
  
Black tensed all of his muscles as hard as he could, and pulled away as hard as he could. His arm did not move an inch. Nor, did Sousuke's grip loosen. It was like his arm was chained. He felt embarrassed that he could not break away from the simple grip of this kid. The anger began to well up inside of him and his face reddened from anger and embarrassment.  
  
"Boy, if ya don't let go of me arm right this secon, I swear I'll..."  
  
"Go ahead. All I need is a reason to..."  
  
"Sir! I got through to Commander Mardukas. He is on the line right now."  
  
Sousuke immediately let go of the Scot's arm which caused him to stumble backwards. Sousuke quickly walked over to the communications tell. He placed the ear piece over his ear and held the input device up to his mouth.  
  
"Sir! Thank you for accepting my call. I would like to request that..."  
  
"Yes, Sergeant. I have been told of your request. I respect your judgment on the matter, and I can understand your concern given the situation."  
  
Sousuke lowered his head and let out a sigh of relief. A smile played across his mouth.  
  
"Thank you, sir. I..." he started before he was interrupted by Commander Mardukas.  
  
"But, you will commence with the mission as planned. I repeat, you will commence with the..."  
  
Sousuke did not wait for the transmission to be broken. He quickly threw down the microphone and violently jerked the earpiece from his ear. He threw it with full force to the metal floor. He turned around quickly to the side of the helicopter and kicked with all his might. A hollow 'clung' sound accompanied the vibration that was sent throughout the helicopter. KB took a quick look of shock to his face and abruptly ended the transmission.  
  
"Fuck!"  
  
He punched a wooden crate that was within his reach. The crate slid along the floor with a loud screech, and a jagged nail dug into his flesh. He tore his hand away from the nail violently, only tearing more flesh as he did so. His anger was so great that he seemed to not be able to feel pain, or maybe he just welcomed it.  
  
"Shit!"  
  
He then took the same hand, balled it into a fist and slammed it against the side of the helicopter. As he moved his bleeding hand from the spot, and a dent and a large blood splatter replaced it. Jill quickly ran over to him before he could take his anger out on the next thing.  
  
"Sir, please calm down! Orders cannot be helped!"  
  
He threw his hands up in disgust. Jill had to dodge the line of blood that was flung her way when he threw his hands into the air.  
  
"Am I the only person that acknowledges that I am the leader of this team?! That I am the one that makes the best decisions for my team?! Commander Mardukas doesn't seem to think so! None of you seem to think so either! But, what do I know?! I'm just some punk kid, right?! Right?!"  
  
Jill quickly grabbed hold of his hands and lowered them to his sides.  
  
"No. No one ever said that about you, sir."  
  
Sousuke quickly pointed his finger at Black who quickly lowered his head.  
  
"He most certainly did. He made it clear from the start of what he thought about me."  
  
"Sir, Black acts that way towards everyone. He has treated you no different than he would anyone else."  
  
"I would disagree with that. The references of 'kid' and 'boy' certainly do speak loudly when he talks to me or about me."  
  
He quickly moves his finger over to Chief, who is sitting in a meditative state on the floor with his eyes closed and arms folded.  
  
"Chief over there doesn't even find me worth talking with. Despite the fact that I am his superior. I guess he doesn't want to waste his time talking to some stupid kid."  
  
He moved his finger over to point at KB who takes a surprised look on his face and shakes his head as if to deny everything that was about to be said.  
  
"KB has been so kind to not speak his mind about me. But, his eyes give it away. I can tell what he truly thinks of me."  
  
He moves his finger in front of Jill's face. She takes a step back and stares at him pleadingly.  
  
"Even you feel as if you have to take up for me. I'm not quite grown up enough to handle myself against the Scot over there, huh? So, you better stand up for poor little me, right?"  
  
Jill lowered her head with a saddened look on her face. She hadn't realized it, but that's exactly how she had been treating him. She understood his anger, but there wasn't anything she could say without making the situation worse. He sneered at her and moved his finger over to Malcolm. His sneer deepened.  
  
"And, I don't know what the hell he's thinking. I don't think he's acknowledged me as anything more than a tool. And, that pisses me off more than anything. But, that isn't much different than the way he thinks about the rest of you. You are all on equal ground as tools as I am. Right?" he says in an interrogative tone to Malcolm.  
  
Malcolm only sighs as a reaction.  
  
"If that is how you feel about me, sir, then there is nothing I can do about it."  
  
Sousuke turns back around and sits down. He looks around at all the faces around him once again.  
  
"You think I don't notice these things? Well, you are all wrong. I can see past your facades and see what you really think about this entire ordeal. What you think about me."  
  
The group falls into complete silence. The most of them with contemplative looks on their faces. One would have thought that a mother would have just lectured her children. No one was saying a word and the most of them looked saddened by his words. His words were more a harsh realization of understanding than they were sad.  
  
He leans his head against the cold steel of the helicopter and closes his eyes. He is not acting like a soldier. He is angry, infuriated, confused... panicked. This behavior will not do. Why is he so upset when any of this doesn't surprise him? He knows why. He knows that if they continue something bad will happen. But, now he has to measure his possibilities since the option of turning back is out of the question. He will be very careful; that is for sure. He will take every precaution possible before taking action. He will be as careful as the books say that no one ever bothers to take seriously. He will earn his group's respect. He will get them all out alive.  
  
He opens his eyes quickly once he feels some cold liquid running down his hand that is not his own blood. He looks at his hand to see a female hand holding it into position and water running down his arm. Jill places the blood soaked wash cloth into the pan of water on the seat between her and Sousuke. After a couple of sloshes of the washcloth, the water is soon tinted a pinkish color. He watches, with fascination, his own blood being washed away like a riverbed being swept clean by the flowing water. The water mixes with the blood to turn it a very light red color. The red, almost pink liquid runs down to the ends of his fingertips and begins its plummet to the cold metallic floor below. The blood, like his mind, is flowing freely. There is no order to its streaming. It cannot be controlled; it cannot be predicted. This has to stop. There is no way he can do this when his mind is a river's wild. Then, he watches with just as much interest as the gauze bandages are wrapped around his hand and up his wrist to hold them in place. The blood ceases to flow from his open wound, but surely staining the bandages at the lower levels. The flow of his blood cannot be controlled of predicted. But, there are ways of slowing it and delaying it to a point where it reaches a predictable state. There can be softening barriers, barriers to keep the flow on track, to stop it from flowing in an order of chaos. Surely, his mind, like his blood, can be put back into flow.  
  
"Sir, I'm deeply sorry if we have offended you. But, you must understand. This is new for us also. We are aware of the dangers of this mission. Though, we do not doubt from your words that you are more of a man than most will ever be, you still have the outer casing of a boy. You have never led a group of people before, I'm sure. You never would have expected either that you would be leading a team given your younger age. Well, we like you, never expected that we would be led by someone of your age. This is as new to us as it is to you. But, I think there is a lot we can all learn on this mission." she said while applying another layer of bandages to his hand.  
  
He sighed and closed his eyes once again. Jill sighed out of feeling that her point had not come across to him, or at least that he did not accept it. All was silent again for a little while before Sousuke spoke once again.  
  
"Thank you. I fully understand what you are saying, Corporal. I too, if I were you, would not trust me. Especially after the way I have been acting. I assure you that this is not normally how I act. And, I will be truthful. I have had a bad feeling about this mission since late last night. I do not know what do expect, but I have a horrible feeling that lives are in danger. And, given the situation, it would be our lives. But, I am sure that I can pull us through this. I have had experience in the field since I was eight years old. And, if there is anything that I have learned, it would be to follow your instincts. I have tried to follow mine, but it seemed that the cards were not stacked in my favor. Our fall- back has been denied. But, we can still pull through this. I do not expect all of you to believe what I am saying. I do not expect you to have this same feeling that I do. But, I do need your trust. I need total cooperation from all of you. We have all stepped out on the wrong foot, but that can be corrected. I promise, if all of you can trust me, then there will be no risk come to us, and we can all tell tales about how Sergeant Sagara had everyone on their toes because of foolish preband feelings. Those will make for some humorous war stories to tell our children!"  
  
Everyone laughed about his unexpected final statement. Everyone settled their laughter but kept the smiles on their faces. Black was the one to speak.  
  
"Will ya listen at dat? A man stuck in a lil kid's body!"  
  
Everyone, including Sousuke laughed at the Scot's claim. Black got up from his seat with a groan as he stretched his back. He stiffly walked towards the bathroom. On his way past Sousuke, he slapped him playfully on the shoulder.  
  
"Ay! I trust ye kid. Now, if ye'll excuse me; I gotta go take a piss."  
  
"No one's stopping you." he says with a smile.  
  
He looks over toward KB who is sitting on the floor punching in commands on his computer. His mind is working clearly now, and he knows exactly what to do. His mind, like a wild rapid, cannot be completely controlled though it can be directed.  
  
"KB, scan once more for area hostiles. Run GPS DT; see if there are any hidden frequencies coming from the target area. If so, that means they are operating from underground."  
  
"Yes, sir!" says KB as he puts on a pair of headphones and tunes in his different RD channels.  
  
"Malcolm, go up front with the pilot. Check the air waves for any interrupting wave FQ. We are looking mostly for scout planes, so do not ignore the faint signals if there are any. If you detect any, give the pilot the order to cease continuance and then inform me immediately."  
  
"Sir!" says Malcolm as he gathers his belongings and heads towards to front of the plane.  
  
All leaders that Jill Braxton had ever had before, she considered to be a joke. They were all pathetic leaders and even worse strategists. Critical thinking seemed to be one of the aspects that they all faltered in. She had longed to compare herself to a real leader; just to see where she stood on the scale.  
  
"Chief!"  
  
For the first time during the ride over, Chief's eyes came open at the commanding tone that addressed his name. He was alert and at attention in the blink of an eye.  
  
"Hook the safety anchor to the far left wall and storage load-hatch. Look out and give the area a visual scan with your own eyes. I want to know of anything and everything suspicious looking that you see. I do not need you to be on the lookout for people; the scanners will take care of that. I want to know if anything looks fake. I want to know if there is anything wrong with the landscape. You are a master of spotting IMP traps, I want to know if an area would look suitable for any of those. Have Black assist you once he returns from the restroom."  
  
An enthusiastic grunt of approval and acknowledgement was the Indian's response as he quickly made his way towards the rear of the plane.  
  
"Corporal, run full equipment check. Double check all of the equipment and make sure everything is adequate. Lock and load all weapons and make sure they are all in working order. Run a test on all communications equipment that we have. We never know when we may need it. I want three BT markers marked, set, and ready to deploy as soon as we touch down. In the meantime, I will look over our maps for the best areas to plant the markers."  
  
Jill smiled at the sound of a true leader. Sergeant Sousuke Sagara of the 4th Mithril Branch was the epitome of what a leader should be. It was not only his words, but the way he said those words. There was determination, experience, and wisdom in those words. He knew what had to be done, and he would make sure it would be done. He was a team player: having everyone do their part and to the fullest extend thus providing opportunity by having five additional right hands at his command. The orders were given with a spark in his eyes that said that he was a leader. She did not know exactly what that spark was of, but she knew that it was one that could only be attained by the greatest of men. She now knew the scale as to what a true leader was, and she realized that she still had a ways to go.  
  
"Sir, yes sir!" she snapped an enthusiastic salute before going over to one of the crates.  
  
Sousuke kneeled down on the floor and began scanning over the tactical maps with the utmost perception. His strategic mind began to take over. He could see the terrain clearly in his head. The numbers, coordinates, symbols, and scales began to merge in his mind not as pieces of a map, but as pieces of the landscape. He could see the terrain perfectly, and he was sure that the terrain that he saw in his mind was the one which Chief saw with his eyes. Good, now where to put those markers...

* * *

Sousuke's walkie-talkie gave a little bit of static once again for the third time. The static cleared and Malcolm's voice broke through it.  
  
"Sir, the forth BT marker is in place. Ready for transmission!"  
  
"Good."  
  
He turned around to the table that KB was sitting at.  
  
"KB, check the frequencies on an L4 axis pitch."  
  
KB pressed a few buttons and turned a few knobs, and then the air was filled with the sound of a small 'bleep.' KB took off the earphones and turned back around to his leader.  
  
"It's working perfectly, sir! Everything's good to go!"  
  
"Perfect."  
  
Sousuke tuned the channel on the walkie-talkie to the link-way so that way his next message would get out to all four of them.  
  
"Everything is working fine. We are now on the frequency. All of our other frequencies and waves will be amplified by about 200x distance and efficiency. Good work everyone, now return. Sagara, out!"  
  
He let out a sigh and went back under the pavilion that KB was operating the equipment from under. It didn't really offer very much shelter from the sun since the trees they were under did the job well enough. But, it would at least keep everyone and everything dry in case of rain. As soon as they had touched down, Sousuke sent Black, Chief, Braxton, and Malcolm to plant the four BT markers at strategic places that he had marked while on the helicopter. He might have been acting a bit too cautious, but he had never noted that to be a bad characteristic. Now, there should not be any reason at all for equipment failure. With the BT markers, they would get the strongest input and output possible. So, now if something bad were to happen like he planned, it would not be because of equipment failure.  
  
"KB, now that the BT markers are out check the scanners once again. Make sure there are not any more hidden or masked heat sources."  
  
"Yes, sir. I already did, sir. There are still only two sizeable heat sources. The rest are only animals, and our own people."  
  
"Good job. It is better to be safe than sorry, right?"  
  
"Of course, sir."  
  
It took the four that were dispatched about half an hour to get back to where they were all set up. The markers were spread out about a mile away from the set-up point. All of the up and downhill treks did not help make the walking distance any shorter. Finally, when Jill got back, everyone was standing over KB as they watched him make additional scans of the area. She walked up and no one seemed to notice her; they were all staring intensely at the screen, except for Chief, who was once again leaned up against a tree meditating. She walked over and took her place next to Black to see what was going on. The entire screen was black and then it faded to gray.  
  
"Sir, there are no strong frequencies or waves being given off in a ten mile radius except for three inside the house that belongs to the man that we are to execute. Those three are coming from a cell phone, a radio, and... a microwave." said KB with a slight chuckle.  
  
"I see. Thank you, KB." said Sousuke before walking away.  
  
Malcolm quickly followed behind him.  
  
"Sir, what shall we do?" he asked with an obvious impatient tone in his voice.  
  
"We will all lay low for a few days, and see exactly what happens. I am not satisfied that this is not a clever and well concealed trap yet."  
  
Everything was quite and no one was moving. Even Sousuke had stopped in his trail to look at Malcolm. Malcolm, instead of falling out like he was supposed to, stood there. Jill swallowed and looked around nervously. It was almost like no one was breathing either. The tension between everyone in the air was so thick it could take a chainsaw to cut through it. Malcolm stared hatefully at his superior. It was obvious that he was distressed. Judging from the current situation; it seemed as if the team had been pressuring Sousuke to take action. Malcolm was the most distressed, having his opinion ignored especially when it was his job to offer his opinion. Sousuke locked eyes with the man and neither of them flinched.  
  
"You have your orders, Inde. I suggest you do something besides stand there and brood."  
  
Everyone was intensely silent. Not because of the words, but because Malcolm was still not moving. He took a deep and hesitant breath to still his nerves and dampen his anger.  
  
"No, sir. I will not. I have offered an opinion from my better judgment, and you choose to ignore it. It seems as if you are the only person here that does not understand that now is the best time for action. I mean this with all due respect of course... _sir_." he said with sarcasm apparent in his voice at the end of his statement.  
  
Malcolm snapped a quick, over exaggerated salute.  
  
"I have given you your orders, and they are final! If you have a problem with them, then that is your problem. I repeat myself: We will lay low!"  
  
"Then, I repeat myself: We should act now! We have set out the BT Markers as you ordered, and we are still not picking up anything on any of our scanners or waves that would seem to be in the least bit threatening to any of us. We will not have a better chance than what we have now. You claim that you are looking out for your team! I suppose letting this minimal risk opportunity go by is looking out for us! I suppose you would prefer when he does have the place swarming with bodyguards?!"  
  
"Stand down, Sergeant! We will not act at this moment! These are your _strict _orders! You do not know the situation of which I know!"  
  
"No, sir! I obviously know the situation better than you do! With such impudence in the field, there is no way that I can accept you as leader of this team! Yes, I have a bad problem with the way you do things, sir."  
  
"Then, as I said, that is your problem."  
  
"So, I suppose I will have to _make_ it your problem."  
  
"Are you threatening me, Inde?!"  
  
"No, sir! I do not make threats; I make promises!"  
  
Each took a step toward the other. It was obvious that when each was within reach of the other. Things were not going to be settled peacefully. Jill quickly made her way between the two men. She first placed her hands on Sousuke's chest and pushed him back as hard as she could. He took a few fumbled steps back but regained his balance. She then turned around and did the same to Malcolm who did the same.  
  
"Both of you cool it!" she demanded.  
  
"Inde, you are completely out of line! Sir, you are not much better off! Now, I suggest the both of you cool it!"  
  
Sousuke pointed his finger towards Malcolm.  
  
"This man needs to learn where his place is!"  
  
Malcolm took an angered expression his face, took a couple quick steps forward, and pointed his finger at Sousuke.  
  
"And, this kid needs to have some sense knocked into him!"  
  
The two men walked towards each other again. Malcolm balled up his fist, ready to take the first swing when they were both covered with a dark shadow. He felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see the figure of Black towering over him.  
  
"I sugges ye both cool it, fore I put ye both in ye places!"  
  
Both men stood down, knowing that the Scot would make good of his word. Both knew this man's abilities and neither wanted to be in the position where they would be testing those abilities. Jill walked over to where the three of them were standing. She turned a bucket upside down and placed it on the ground. She took her seat on the bucket.  
  
"So, is there something that we all need to talk about?" she said with an expecting look on her face.  
  
Sousuke sneered at Malcolm and started to walk away.  
  
"There is nothing that needs to be said. Everyone has their orders and I expect them to be followed."  
  
He resumed walking away, assuming that his point had been made. He would leave them to talk about it all they wished. He knew that something bad was going to happen, and he would make sure that he would protect his team, no matter how much it caused them to hate him. He heard a solid click come from behind him. It was the sound of a Glock 17: fully loaded and ready to fire. It was Malcolm's voice that came after the clicking of the gun.  
  
"Sir, there is a lot we have to talk about."  
  
Sousuke turned around to see Malcolm standing about ten feet away from him with a gun aimed at him. He was breathing very heavily. He wasn't breathing hard because of exhaustion, but because of anger and nervousness. Jill slowly got up off of her bucket with her hands held non- threateningly in the air. Black took a step back slowly.  
  
"Inde, calm down. There is no need for this. I'm sure Sergeant Sagara would be glad to talk things over. Now, just..."  
  
Malcolm quickly turned his head towards her and gave her a stern look.  
  
"Do not talk to me like I just snapped. I'm fine, and I'm just following my orders."  
  
Jill looked at him oddly. She tried her best to recall orders slightly resembling this, and could not think of anything.  
  
"W... What orders are you talking about?!"  
  
"None of you would know about them. They were given to me only. Sagara was the one best suited to lead this mission. I don't know why, but that is what I was told. I was told that I was best suited after Sagara. I was also told that this mission is of the highest priority. I am here to take Sergeant Sagara's place if something were to happen to him. I am also here to make sure that he doesn't go against the mission. I am to kill him and take his place if he is to go against the mission."  
  
Malcolm took a few more deep breaths as sweat poured off his face. He slowly let the hand holding the gun drop to his side. The weapon soon after fell to the ground. He lamely kicked it away from him and weakly put his hands above his hands.  
  
"But, I can't do that. He is after all just doing what he would believe would be best for the team. Perhaps, he does know better than me." he said before sitting down hard on the ground and covering his face.  
  
Jill looked over at him. She was astonished. She had no idea that this mission was so important. She believed Malcolm; he had never lied before. Why was it so important to assassinate this man anyway? What kind of weapons did he deal in? Whatever; it didn't matter. What mattered was to get the job done. She was starting to feel greatly unnerved. Her leader had almost been shot. Out of the few missions that she had been on; that had to be the most intense, nerve wrecking thing she had ever been through. Throughout the entire ordeal, she was unable to speak. She turned around to address her leader. Her voice cracked and pitched a bit more than she hoped for it to. She sounded extremely nervous.  
  
"Sir, I think we should take action now! If we do.. we... we can get out of here. I haven't been here but for maybe three hours and I already feel like I've been here for months. I can't take this!"  
  
Sousuke didn't know what to do or say. His team was starting to crack. It was true; they had only been here for a few hours and they were already starting to act like troops that had been in the field for a long time. His feeling of dread kept growing in him, and he guessed that the rest of the team must have been feeling it also. If he was doing anything by taking all of these precautions, he was making his team very nervous and edgy. He was not being a very good leader; he had just assumed that they were all experienced when in truth, Malcolm had only been in Mithril for about a year, and Jill had just transferred about two months ago. He had made a crucial mistake. But, the crucial wasn't his lack of assessment. It was his lack of perception. He now realized the truth.  
  
He looked at Malcolm who was sitting on the ground. He sneered in disgust at the man and walked over at a hastened pace. Black held up his hand in protest, but it was too late. As soon as Sousuke got within striking distance of Malcolm his foot flew up to meet his face. Sousuke let out an angered scream as his foot connected with the man's face. There was a loud crack of a breaking bone as Malcolm's head flew backwards and a stream of blood shot forward onto Sousuke. The kick had a lot more strength behind than anyone could have expected. Malcolm lifted from his sitting position and went through the air for a few feet before landing and skidding on the ground.  
  
"You son of a bitch! We were sent here to die; weren't we?! We were sent here to die! And, you were sent to make sure that I carried through with this suicide mission! Right?! That's why you're so anxious to take action! That's why there aren't any bodyguards around! This was an ambush all along! Say something you son of a bitch!"  
  
Jill had to focus to steady her breathing and the rapid beating of her heart. This made no sense! Just a little while ago, Sousuke was the prime example of a leader. Now, he had completely lost it. He was standing there screaming at a man who was unconscious or perhaps dead. She looked over at Malcolm. There was a large amount of blood coming from his face in which it looked like a part of it was peeled off from the force of the kick. The back of his head was also bleeding from the impact at which he had landed. She covered her mouth with a gasp of shock and looked away. She bent over and started coughing. She felt as if she were going to vomit after seeing the gruesome sight that was Malcolm Inde.  
  
"I can't believe I was so stupid! I should have known from when I first got bad vibes off of you that you were nothing but trouble! You have already stirred up trouble, and now you've turned my team against me! Did Mardukas send us here to die? Is that it? Why? Answer me, damn you!"  
  
Jill looked back over at Sousuke due to his newest outburst. He was making no sense at all. He was talking nonsense. He didn't sound like the great person she had heard earlier. His voice sounded dark, sinister, crazy. And, his eyes... His eyes absolutely terrified her. They looked normal, but there was something about them that scared her unlike anything that had ever scared her before. His eyes... they weren't human. There was no way a person could have that kind of look in their eyes. They held every horrible thing that one could expect: anger, despair, sadness, confusion, mayhem, chaos... evil. Sergeant Sagara, no, this person, no, thing before her had a terrible look in its eyes. Its eyes showed death. Death to all of those around it.  
  
This unreasonable fear of the man who was once Sousuke Sagara was elevated when he drew his gun and pointed it at the unconscious form of Malcolm. She screamed as she quickly looked away and covered her ears. She knew what was about to happen.

* * *

Sousuke woke up with a loud gasp. He sat up in a position ready to get up, but he didn't recognize where he was. He felt a cold liquid splashing against his body. He looked at his arm, confused to see water bouncing off of it. He looked around at the ground that he was sitting on and his confusion was alleviated. He saw the water also making puddles of water around him. He looked up at the sky to see some of the darkest storm clouds he had ever seen, pouring out the worst storm that he had ever seen. He looked around to see what confused him that he didn't see before. It was a log cabin. Not a large log cabin, but not a small one either. Either way, he identified it as the dwelling of the target. It definitely did not look like the cabin that would belong to a rich, illegal arms dealer. This only made him worry more about what was going on. He would have actually felt much better if it were a huge mansion with bodyguards patrolling the area. But, at least he knew for sure that the target was inside of the mansion. Multiple scans had shown it to be him. But, now for the question at hand.  
  
How did he get here? What had caused that sort of dream? Why didn't he remember coming here? Why was he asleep? The answer came simply to him: stress. When soldiers are stressed out, it is not uncommon for things like this to happen. He sat back and tried to remember what had been said for him to come here; he couldn't remember. But, logic told him what he had said. It would have been something like this:  
  
_"This is the best chance we are getting to strike! I will not pass it up! If you will do nothing about it, then I will go! Black, you and Chief come with me. Braxton you stay here and..." says Malcolm while taking the situation into his own hands.  
  
"No!"  
  
Perhaps he is right. Perhaps this is the best chance they will have. If the target is eliminated, then they will be able to all return home. That would probably set a record for this type of mission considering everyone left out that early morning and they would be back in time for a late dinner. His group would be safe, and he would not have to worry about this any longer. That idea actually sounds pretty good, but it will not be any of the rest of the team that carries out the mission. He will not put their lives at risk. It will be he that makes the hit.  
  
Everyone is looking at him expectantly. They may not listen to their leader, but they all still want to here what he has to say. They may see him as a coward, as a fool, but they still see him as their leader.  
  
"Fine! We will take action! But, none of you are to leave this spot. I will take out the target; all of you just wait until you get word from me and keep in radio contact. I will probably be back in about two hours. If I am not out by then, you will all assume the worst and leave without me. Either way, you will all make it back alive. I will not be responsible for losing anyone on my team."  
_  
And, here he is now. He cannot recall that happening, but more than likely, that is what happened. That is what would have happened in order to have him here. Unless someone knocked him out and dumped him off here. But, that was highly unlikely.  
  
He picks himself up off the ground and attempts to dust himself off. Unfortunately, dirt does not brush off of wet clothes. He sighs in frustration. So, here he was. It was time to complete the mission. Or, was it. He had to make sure. He checked his side to see that his walkie- talkie was still in place. He had to make sure of his place, and perhaps find out how he got there. He needed to talk with his team. He pressed the input button on the device and lowered his mouth to the receiver.  
  
"KB, this is Sagara! Do you copy?"  
  
He waited for a reply, but received none. He looked around the area to see that the trees were even thicker in this area. There was no way a signal could get out over the trees and a storm like this had to be doing something to the signal. These weren't the normal walkie-talkies; they were meant to get a better signal, but that signal could be cut short my many things unfortunately. Perhaps, KB's was just not picking up that well. Sousuke was after all, getting static. If there weren't any signals getting out, there would be no static to pick up. He decided he would try Braxton's.  
  
"Braxton, this is Sagara! Do you copy? I repeat: do you copy? Over!"  
  
The silence on the other end bothered him greatly. He was remembering his dream. What if that had actually happened? What if he had went berserk and killed Malcolm? What if the others tried to stop him and he killed them too?  
  
He was thinking nonsense. There is no way he would kill his team for any reason. Also, he was not one prone to mental breakdown. Another thing, at least two of the people were as highly trained professionals as he was, and all of them were armed. There would be no way that he could kill all five of them. He was just thinking nonsense. So, what was the dream all about?  
  
Stress. It could all definitely be blamed on stress. Stress can cause some serious problems with a soldier. So, he needed to get out of this stressful situation as soon as possible. He would hurry up and complete the mission, and then they could all go home. They would not have to worry about this anymore.  
  
Also, he could get out of this dreadful weather.  
  
He drew his Glock 20 from its side holster and approached the house at a quickened pace. All the windows were too high and the logs looked very slippery from the rain, so he would not be able to sneak in. His only options appeared to be the front of back door. The answer was obvious. Only a fool would engage the enemy by going through the front door.  
  
Sousuke slowed his pace for fear of making too much noise as his boots splashed in the puddles of water caused by the tremendous amount of rainfall. But, then it occurred to him that the rain itself would be a sound buffer since nothing would be heard over the beating and loud pouring of the rain. He quickened his pace once again, quietly but quickly climbed up the wooden steps of the back porch, and leaned up against the side of the house just to the side of the sliding glass door. He peered from his angle into the glass door and could see a little bit of the kitchen. The kitchen wall was decorated with a few plaques that had witty kitchen sayings on them like 'Waste not, Want not' and 'Refrigerator: second home of man.' But, a glance into the mirror hanging on the same wall revealed the rest of the kitchen. It looked like a normal kitchen: stove, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, etc. But, his observant eye picked up on something odd. The kitchen looked like an old-time one. It looked like an old couple's kitchen, except for the appliances. That was the give away. The appliances were top of the line name brands and state of the art. The appliances were expensive and high-tech. Too high-tech and too expensive for a place like this.  
  
So, he had been right all along. They were expecting an attack. And, this was just a clever setup to perhaps turn them away or to at least trap them. That probably also meant that they had a masking device to hide all of the guards from scanner detection. He would approach cautiously.  
  
Since he had visual of the entire kitchen through what he could see and the mirror on the wall, he carefully reached his hand out and took hold of the wooden handle of the sliding glass door. Oddly enough, the door was unlocked: only furthering the assumption that this was a trap. The door slid open quietly and smoothly. He looked around for any odd wiring or bows in the floor that may signify a trap. There were none. Not in the kitchen. Unfortunately, he had not taken into account that the loud sound of the pouring rain would make its way into the house when he opened the door. He quickly slid the door shut, but a little to quickly. The door shut with a loud 'thunk.' Now that the rain was no longer impairing his hearing, he could hear quite and quick shuffling through the archway in front of the kitchen. He could see into the room to assume that it was the living room. He heard two sets of shuffling feet in the room. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps there was no trap. Perhaps his team was right. Perhaps this was the best time to strike.  
  
Knowing that his cover had been blown, he quickly made his way to the far wall beside the archway leading from the kitchen to the living room. The boards in the floor creaked as he made his way across. He looked through the archway at the tan wall inside the living room. There was no one there, but he was at a bad angle for visuals. All he saw was a black couch setting on the tan carpet. But, he did see a mirror on that wall.  
  
"Who's there!" demanded a male voice from the living room as more shuffling came from the same room.  
  
He could use the same tactic as he used getting into the kitchen. He looked into the mirror to see a man holding a gun. The man was tall, black, and had black hair . He was rather skinny and he was dressed rather nice. This was the target. He matched the description perfectly. This was Rego Reggie, black market and illegal arms dealer. In the mirror he also saw something move out of sight of the mirror to what he would assume to be a corner. He caught a glimpse of what appeared to be skin on the fleeting figure. The scans were right. There were two people here besides him and his team. The two were in the same house. Rego Reggie and his personal bodyguard. He saw now that he had been overreacting the whole time. But, why was that horrible feeling still with him. And, why was his adrenaline on such a rush. The targets were in the next room, so there would be no problem getting rid of them in what he considered to be a 'cheap' way of doing things. He would use a high powered fragmentation grenade. That would mean that he could also keep clear in case there was the possibility that there were other dangers in the room. He took a grenade off of his belt, took three steps to where he was almost in the archway, looked at the man through the mirror, judged the distance and the angle for a ricochet off the wall, pulled the pin, and then threw the grenade. He watched in the mirror as the grenade bounced off the wall and rolled precisely where he planned for it to. But, in the mirror he also saw something that horrified him more than if he had seen an army standing before him with their weapons drawn.  
  
It was a little girl.  
  
The little girl looked to be no more than ten years old. She had long blonde hair and crystal clear, blue eyes. She was dressed only in a set of pajamas and was holding a teddy bear. She was looking down at the live grenade with a look of fear and confusion in her mind. The man looked over to see the grenade and immediately ran to try to cover the little girl. Unfortunately, the grenade was a short time at only four seconds. There would be no time. Sousuke gasped in fear as he watched in horror as the father went to cover his little girl. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. For some reason, at that precise moment, everything he couldn't remember before he got here, suddenly came back to him. The first thing he realized was that his dream wasn't a dream. All of that had really happened, plus a load more that he didn't remember.  
  
_Jill screamed in terror as she saw her leader aim his gun at the fallen Malcolm.  
  
"No!" protested Black as he ran towards Sousuke from behind.  
  
But, it was too late; the trigger had already been pulled. Everything was moving in slow motion for Sousuke. It was like he could feel everything around him through the air. He could feel the bullet as it slowly made its way out of the barrel of the gun. He could feel the vibrations off of Jill's scream. He could feel the waves going through the air as Black approached him from behind. He could feel the power of the single bullet as it tore through the air. He could feel the distance between him and the bullet he fired getting further and further away. He felt the waves through the air as Malcolm's head bounced from the impact of the bullet piercing through his cranium. He felt the blood flowing through the air as a splatter effect of the bullet coming into contact with Malcolm's head. He smiled at the sight he saw and the feeling he had. He felt a better feeling of satisfaction than he had ever had in his life.  
  
Jill screamed in terror as she turned around to see a large blood splatter come from the head of Malcolm Inde. His head bounced lifelessly from the force of the shot. She looked back at her leader to see him smiling sadistically at the sight before him. This could not be Sergeant Sagara Sousuke. This thing could not even be human. No man could ever do such a thing and take such great delight in it.  
  
Black was within distance of Sagara. He balled his fist up and tightened all of the muscles in his arm and shoulder, ready to punch him with all the force he had. He had never hit anything with all his force, fearing what may happen. He had always held back. Now was not the time to hold back. Sagara had just killed one of his teammates and the feeling he was getting that Malcolm would not be the only one. He threw his punch with all of his might. It was definitely enough to kill the kid, but that didn't matter. He had to ensure the safety of the rest of his team before anyone else got killed. There was a loud crunch as his fist sunk a few inches into the back of Sagara's skull, and blood spewed forth from the cut his fist made. The boy fell forward as limb as a noodle. His head hit the ground and bounced a bit. He was dead. He made sure to hit the vital spot on the back of the head to ensure that the young man would die instantly from the blow. Black sighed in disbelief as he approached the rest of his team. Braxton was badly shaken, Chief had an intense look on his face, KB didn't seem to even know what was going on, and Malcolm was dead. Chief quickly looked around nervously at the sky. Something was definitely on his mind, and it was bothering him greatly. But, what he saw around him did not seem to bother him. He quickly took off into a sprint and headed into the forest.  
  
"Chief! Ye come back ere, Chief! We're leavin! We gettin out of ere, Chief! Come back!" he yelled desperately at the Indian.  
  
Chief did not stop for a moment at the voices of his comrades. He had to find out something. Something here was horribly wrong. Not just that Sagara had killed one of his subordinates, but something else was wrong. The legend was wrong.  
  
"KB, ye an Braxton pull ye selves getha an radio in for a pick-up. We need to be gettin out a ere. I'll go an look for Chief." commanded Black.  
  
"Alright." said KB in a shaky voice as he got up to go over to Jill who didn't seem to hear what Black had said.  
  
"Also, tell them what happened. Letem know that I killed..." he said before he was interrupted by an unknown voice behind him.  
  
"That you killed who?" said the cold, dark, unrecognizable voice behind him.  
  
He had a horrible feeling as to who that was without needing to look. He shivered from a cold chill that the voice sent through his body. He turned around and stared in shock horror into the face of Sousuke Sagara, the man he had just killed.  
  
How could this be?! There is no way that ANYTHING could get up after a hit like that! Now was not the time to question. He had to get KB and Braxton to safety. His job, after all, was to protect them if the need should arise. And, now it had risen in the form of their team leader. The look in his eyes said that he was going to kill them all.  
  
"Both of ye, get outta ere!" he shouted while reaching for his pistol.  
  
His pistol was not there. He looked down in fear and dismay to confirm with his eyes what his touch told him. His weapon was not there. He looked up in fear as he heard the thing before him laugh in the most sinister, terrifying laugh he had ever heard or imagined. He shivered as he saw his pistol being twirled playfully around the thing's finger. It spoke to him.  
  
"Is this what you're looking for? We can't have you shooting me, now can we? They say that you excel in hand to hand combat, isn't that right? Then, surely you would have no problem taking me out like a man! I'm just a kid, right? So, you should have no trouble at all."  
  
He threw the pistol into the woods far out of sight and hidden amongst the many fallen leaves. Black was going to have to fight this thing hand to hand. He had the mind that no man could ever take him down in hand to hand combat, not even multiple men. But, this was no man. It looked like Sergeant Sagara Sousuke of Mithril, but it was no man, or at least not anymore. He was confident in his combat skills, but the blow that he delivered before should have easily killed him. If he was going to fight him, he could not fight him fairly. He would have to strike when he wasn't expecting it. He advanced forward towards Sagara with his arms spread out non-threateningly.  
  
"Ay, I don't think I want to fight ye!" he said while advancing forward.  
  
KB took this as his cue. He grabbed Jill and started running down the hill. He was one to only look things over rationally. But, there was nothing rational about this entire thing. Sergeant Sagara had just got up after a killing blow. That defied all laws that he knew of. He knew that if he didn't get himself and Braxton out of there, or if Black didn't stop him, they would all die.  
  
Sousuke stared at the advancing Scotsman oddly. He knew he was up to something, but no matter, there was nothing that the man could do against him. He would amuse him; let him think he stands a chance. Black continued the conversation, hoping to advance closer for a surprise strike.  
  
"There's no way I could be ye! That punch I gave ye shoulda killed ye! Tell me somethin... why are ye doin this? Why did ye kill..."  
  
He was in close enough to deliver a surprise strike. This could be his best chance, and he had to take it. The punch came quicker than anyone could have possibly believed. It was a strong hit aimed for the thing's head that was meant to have enough force to break its neck. Why the strike didn't connect, no one knew? Except for maybe Sousuke Sagara who smiled and ducked under the strike like it was mere child's play. Black was confused as to how someone could move that fast and react that quickly. He gasped in total surprise when he felt a hard impact on the back of his legs.  
  
Everything was once again moving in slow motion for Sousuke. He could still feel everything in the wind. He could feel himself in the position of the air; he could feel the tightening of Black's muscles ready for a strike. He could feel the uncoordinated footsteps of Braxton and KB running down the hill out of sight. He could feel Chief as he made his way through the forest. He could feel the fist and arm of Black breaking the wind with great force as the strike came towards his head. Perhaps now would be a good time to dodge the attack and put his foe on the ground.  
  
He dodged under the upward strike that Black had thrown as a surprise attack. He saw and smiled at the look on his foe's face. He was kneeled down under him. He looked at his legs and remembered the fundamentals of combat. "Bring down the support to bring down the man." He did a quick, solid, perfect sweep kick on the man's legs. His leg stopped as soon as it connected and the Scot's legs flew upward as if they were propelled. The feeling he was getting from the motion of the falling was now coming out in numbers. He was three feet from the ground. Braxton and KB were exactly 102 feet and 11 inches away from him. Chief was 589 feet and 3 inches away from him. He quickly brought his leg back under him and with minor effort, went into a perfect aerial back flip about seven feet off of the ground.  
  
Black watched in amazement as Sagara soared high into the air and did a maneuver that he would only expect to see in action movies while the people were suspended by wires. He hit the ground hard and prepared to roll out of the way. But, as soon as he opened his eyes again, he saw Sagara falling towards him at an incredibly fast descent. The heels of his boots were aimed straight at his shoulders. He had no time to react. The heels of Sagara's boots came down on his shoulders with tremendous force. The impact crushed every bone, muscle, and artery in his shoulders, as to that Sagara's feet were planted firmly on the ground with only a thin layer of flesh under each foot. Black screamed in pain as Sousuke landed on his shoulders and completely obliterated them. A quick jerk of both feet to the right by Sagara caused the arms to come completely off. Black started a scream that sounded as if it could have gone on for minutes.  
  
Sousuke smiled a sadistic smile of satisfaction when he heard the banshick wail of pain. The scream was enough from this victim to satisfy him. He quickly brought his hand into the air, made it into a fist, and brought it down onto the screaming man's face. The man was instantly silenced as no blood came, but his face was compacted inward. His face was now horribly disfigured and resembled the shape of a bowl. Sousuke looked down in admiration at his beautiful work of art he had created. He quickly snapped back to attention when he felt a pierce in the wind followed by the sound of a gunshot. He looked around to see Braxton holding a gun, aimed towards him with a bullet making its way out of the barrel. He could feel the ripping of the wind as the bullet slowly made its way to him. 42 feet 1 inch away and closing at a distance of two inches per second with a velocity increase of 3 feet every .012 seconds. That gave him approximately .16 seconds to react. Plenty of time, so he might as well have some fun and see the look in her eyes when she realized what she was up against. He waited impatiently for the bullet to reach the point where it was within arms distance of him. The tree limb to the right of him was 13.21 feet off the ground. His hand would have form a perfect 180 degree angle and he would have to apply a minimum of 3,852.17 and a maximum of 5,213.4 pounds of pressure to the bullet in order to get it to get thrown off course and headed towards the tree branch with enough force to shatter it. That was no problem at all; not for him.  
  
Braxton witnessed Sousuke brutally murder her comrade. This was too much and he had to be stopped. She felt the anger well up inside of her as she quickly drew her pistol and took an immediate shot. She didn't even give Sousuke a chance to turn around. But, it seemed that as soon as she pulled the trigger, Sousuke turned around waved his hand, and made a tree limb explode into several large pieces. She realized that he had deflected her bullet into the tree limb. He eyes went wide when she witnessed this impossible action performed by the man who was once Sergeant Sousuke Sagara. He only smiled. The smile looked so innocent, but it also made it feel as if her heart had stopped. She held her breath as she looked into those eyes. He quickly reached his hand into the air and caught a piece of the splintered wood that had flown his way after the 'explosion.' She tried to scream when she saw him bring his arm back, but she never had the time to.  
  
He watched with satisfaction, her many different reactions to his actions. He saw a new look of fear in her eyes as he pulled back the hand that had the sharp piece of splintered tree branch in it. She saw her death coming: that was the look. He loved it. He felt a great glory within himself as he saw that look. That is all he needed from this foe. He would grant her the gift of her death now.  
  
He thrust his hand forward with lightning speed, and the sharp splinter flew faster than any bullet. The long splinter stuck into the woman's forehead and she fell to the ground. He was so thrilled by his actions, by his power, by the death around him that he laughed. He was having the time of his life. KB would be the next to go.  
  
He heard gunshots and then that was it. He heard no other sound from below the hill. Logic told him that by now, both Black and Braxton were dead. Shortly after is when he heard the most horrible sound he had every heard before. Laughter. The laughter sounded unnatural, but he knew it could only be coming from the vocal cords of Sousuke Sagara. He was probably the only one still alive up there. He was a coward and he was proud to admit. Being a coward had saved his life many a time, and now might be another one of those times. He was breathing hard; he was scared. He held his breathe as soon as he saw Sagara standing on top of the hill. Hopefully, Sagara couldn't see him. He was pretty sure that he was hidden by from all sight by the bush he was under. Sagara smiled as he headed down the hill towards him. Had he been seen? No, that's impossible. He was too well hidden. When he looked back up, he saw the boots of Sousuke Sagara standing in front of the bush that he was under. KB ducked his head down and held his breathe. He began to pray that he hadn't been seen. The boots stayed in their place. Perhaps he hadn't been seen.  
  
"Come on out of there, KB. Have a little bit of dignity."  
  
The voice sounded as if it was directed at the bush he was hiding under. KB let out the breath he was holding. He managed to still his nerves for his final moments. Normally, he would have been crying his eyes out and begging for his life. But, he knew it would be pointless. He did not know why, but he knew it would be pointless. Sagara was going to kill him despite their being on good terms. Today, he would be brave. He would not die a coward. He braced on his left knee and stood up from the bushes. He came up and met Sagara with eye contact. Sousuke only smirked.  
  
"I think I'll be kind, or at least cliché-like. Do you have any final requests?" he asked with a mocking tone.  
  
KB looked him in the eyes, not even flinching. Today, he would be brave. Today, he was stalwart. Today, he would be a respectable man in the face of danger.  
  
"Yeah, just make it quick, alright, sir?"  
  
"Granted."  
  
Without anymore words or without any warning, Sousuke's leg lifted off of the ground and the bottom of his boot connected underneath KB's chin. The death was quick and painless. His head threw back with great force. There was a sickening cracking sound as the head snapped backwards and then rotated back and to the left. The lifeless body of KB remained standing before it finally fell to the ground.  
  
This did not please Sousuke that much. The death had not been as exciting as the others. So, he would have to make the next one count. Chief would die more painfully and more slowly than any of them. He stopped for a moment to feel of the wind. Chief was now 411.38 feet away from him. He had stopped moving and was now still. Chief was waiting for him. He must have somehow sensed what was happening and was now waiting for him where he would have the advantage. He was in the middle of the forest. Unfortunately, he, like Black, did not know that he could get in a surprise attack on him. But, like Black, he would also entertain Chief by letting him think he might stand a chance. He looked in the direction from where he could feel Chief and began walking in that direction.  
  
There it was. The thing of Cherokee legend. The think that had killed his teammates. It was standing there on the ground with its back facing him. The legends were right, but inaccurate. It should not be here, and it should not have been able to take over Sagara. Now, he, being the only person left, being the only remaining Cherokee who knew the legend would have to stop him. He would sacrifice his own life in order to bring this creature down. He could not allow it to live. It was now looking around as if looking for something even though it knew he was there.  
  
"Come on out, Chief. I'm done playing. I can't leave you alive, now can I? I can't have anyone telling everyone else what I have done here. Come on out, because I promise, if you don't, your death will be that much more painful when I find you. And, I will find you."  
  
Chief leapt down from the tree he was in, but Sagara kept his back turned. He enjoyed feeling his presence than he did seeing him. But, for some reason, fear did not radiate from this man like it did all the others.  
  
"I know; you don't have to tell me. I have some words to say, but I do not want to say them to you. These words are for Sagara. Sagara, I'm sorry this fate has befallen you. I will have to deliver you from this world as a result. I have nothing against you, but the thing that shares your body. I cannot allow either of you to walk this world any longer."  
  
With that Chief unlatched his large, stone, hand-made, tomahawk, and took as swing at the creature in front of him. It was much bigger and heavier than the ones depicted in the movies and museums, but it was also much more efficient. This would be the sacrificial weapon he would use to end this creature's life. Sousuke turned around with a smile on his face. This would be fun. He would make the Indian scream a thousand times before he died. His pain would be unlike no other and it would last for a long time, until his need for pain was satisfied. His first action would be to show the Indian exactly how powerless he really was. He would do this by getting rid of his ancient weapon.  
  
Sousuke quickly turned around with a frightening grin on his face. He held his hand above his head with his index finger held skyward. He easily and quickly sidestepped the huge axe as it cut through the air where he was standing. He brought his finger down in a chopping motion and the axe shattered to pieces when the finger struck it. Chief stared at the creature in disbelief, but with no more amount of fear than he had before. It was like he had been expecting this to happen. This only angered Sousuke, for that look of fear was not present in his eyes. As if to make the point, lightning struck in the distance and the rain came down even harder.  
  
"You are not human." said Chief stating what he knew to be the obvious.  
  
Now came the fun part.  
_  
The vision ended with the horribly mutilated corpse of Chief lying in a pool of his own blood and Sousuke standing above it laughing like a madman. The rain poured even harder, spreading the pool of blood even further.  
  
Sousuke gasped in surprise when he the flashback ended. He now realized what had happened. He had killed them all. No, not him. But, if not him, who? The thought was too much to bear. He stared at his hands in disbelief. His hands were covered in a blood that wasn't there before. He screamed as the flashback resumed.  
  
Sousuke looks down once again at his newest piece of art. The Indian really was a beautiful work of art, or at least when portrayed like this. He smiled as he turned around and headed off. There was still more death that he could cause. He might as well complete the mission while he was here as long as that promise of death was there. Suddenly, he felt a tight grip around his ankle. He should have felt that, but for some odd reason he didn't. He looked down to see the bloody, shaking, hand of Chief holding onto his ankle. The Indian spit out some blood and sputtered out his dying words as best as he could.  
  
_"D... Do not... go any... further. You can't. If you do, you wi... will only bring more death. You are what the l... legends have warned my... people about for all of these centuries."  
_  
He could not see the vision, but the words were still loud in his head. He looked around, confused. He was in the house of the target. Then, he realized what was going on. The grenade rolled to a stop on the floor. It let out its final click before detonation. He saw the man running towards the little girl in the corner in hopes of shielding her from the grenade. He would never make it in time.  
  
"NO!" screamed Sousuke.  
  
He realized now that he had already killed all of his teammates. He could not let anyone else die. Especially not a little girl. He quickly ran around the corner into the living room. He had to absorb the blast. If he could make it, he would be able to save two lives and end his own, which actually seemed like a good choice.  
  
_"You... you are the one... that is to walk the world and bring... bring death, destruction, chaos, suffering where ever you are. You must... must not do this. Please, I beg of you. Do... not go on. Innocents... will die!"  
_  
He leapt through the air in hopes that his body would cover the grenade and absorb the entire blast. But, it was too late. There was a bright flash as he felt several pieces of metal stuck into his body. He fell to the floor, only pressing the shrapnel further into his body. He felt light headed and everything started spinning. He looked up to see the most dreaded thing he had ever seen before. He saw the man lying on the floor with shrapnel stuck all in his body. But, the little girl. The little girl was still standing up. Not because she was still alive, but because she was pinned to the wall. Most of the shrapnel had managed to fly her direction. Her entire body was pierced, including her head and one of her eyes. She should have been dead, but she wasn't. She screamed. It was a scream that Sousuke would never forget. It chilled his blood as he watched the little girl scream. He could not do anything, and everything was starting to go black. As light faded to darkness, the only thing he heard was the continuing scream of the little and the final few words of Chief before he died.  
  
_"You... will kill everyone you come across. The legend... it says this much. You are Death. You... are the Grim Reaper. You ... are the Keeper. You are the... Crimson Death. The Dying Breathe, the Ravaged Fallen... the Gatekeeper."  
_  
Darkness and unconsciousness had completely overtaken him. It was a warm welcome. The little girl was no longer screaming, but he could still hear her. He had killed his entire team, the man lying on the floor, and a little girl. Perhaps what Chief had said was true.  
  
_"You are the Deathbringer."_

TO BE CONTINUED


	10. The Break of the Silver Rain

**Disclaimer:** I make no claim to the series, ideas, or characters of Full Metal Panic.  
  
**The Deathbringer  
  
Chapter 10: The Break of the Silver Rain**

_By Adam Lakewood Copyright 2004_  
  
Meredith quickly sat up in her bed with a loud gasp. She could still hear the screaming. The screaming of what seemed to be thousands of people. Screams; screams of agony, terror, sadness, and every other type of scream imaginable. The scream that stood out amongst the others sounded like Sousuke.  
  
This had happened many times, but she still could not get used to the horrible sound. But, never was she able to pinpoint any of the screams or identify them, but this time it was easy for her to identify Sousuke in the mass of wails. She knew it was Sousuke because the dreams told her so.  
  
She had already learned that since the day before yesterday that she shouldn't ignore her dreams. She and Sousuke's dreams were correct since just a few hours after she left the base of the 4th Mithril Branch yesterday, it was destroyed. Luckily, the most of the people were already dispatched from the base. The kill count was at an expected low at only 172 causalities. 172 people had died. The worst part was that they were destroyed because of her. The attack did not come in the form of a missile, but instead in the form of foot soldiers. Hundreds of heavily armed foot soldiers. When they realized that she wasn't there, they murdered everyone in the base to 'cut the resistance down.' This had her in a very depressed mood since the blood of almost 200 people was on her hands. Kevin had been a great comfort, but there was still only so much that he could do.  
  
It seemed as if the terrorist group that attacked knew something before Mithril did. Meredith was one of what Mithril was now labeling as "The Whispered." They proved this late last night when they ran tests on her, comparing her to another person who was being hunted under similar circumstances by these people. The young lady was being hunted down as a Whispered: a person with the knowledge of Black Technology, and on the rare occasion, a few other powers. It turned out that the tests that were run on Meredith turned out to be the same as the other young lady's, except they were a little bit stronger. Since, 2:12 yesterday morning, Meredith had technically been labeled as a Whispered with minor aspects of Clairsentience. She was informed that was what the dreams were. They were more than just dreams, they were visions. When she explained that she never had a dream about the base being attacked, but Sousuke did, they were completely baffled. They passed it off as a strong empathetic bond. Now, Mithril was desperately searching for other Whispered around the world that may be in need of immediate protection. They had already found one amongst the 17th Mithril Branch. The girl was already being put under heavy protection. They were even going as far as to even take her off of land and put her underwater in a new prototype submarine they had been working on. Meredith was placed under what many considered to be much better protection. She was left in the care of Kevin "The Priest" Jacobs.  
  
The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had seen a lot of these present events in the past in a lot of her dreams. She even remembered seeing Kevin in one of those dreams.  
  
A lot had happened in the two days that Sousuke had been gone. She had learned even more than that. The most important that she learned, and learned the hard way was to not ignore her dreams. That's why she was now worried about one of the cries being Sousuke. Whatever it meant, it could not be good.  
  
She heard the phone in Kevin's living room ring.  
  
She did not like where this was going. She had another one of her 'visions' in which she heard the scream of Sousuke who just left out morning before last. Now, there was a call at a priest's house at 4:00 in the morning.  
  
The phone rang another half time before the ringing was silenced by a soft click and the hushed tone of Kevin's voice. She looked towards the bottom of her closed door to see a faint light coming from under the door. Kevin was still up.  
  
"This is the residence of Father Kevin Jacobs. This is Father Kevin Jacobs; can I help you?" his shushed voice sounded concerned.  
  
No doubt he was, getting a call at 4:00 in the morning. He probably feared that it was a phone call concerning her. He said something else, but Meredith couldn't make it out. His tone was now down to almost a whisper. She got up and crept over to the door in hopes of hearing his side of the conversation.  
  
"How is he?" he said in an obviously concerned voice.  
  
It was about Sousuke! And, from what she could piece together concerning the call at 4:00 in the morning and Kevin's silenced and worried tone, it sounded as if it was something bad.  
  
"Oh, Holy Father!" his voiced was a little bit louder than he had meant for it to be.  
  
He cleared his throat before speaking again.  
  
"Well... will he be... alright?!" his voice was once again to the silenced level it was before.  
  
She listened closely and put her ear to the door in case he was to speak any softer.  
  
"You... you have to be kidding me!"  
  
She only wished she could hear what was being said on the other end of the phone. She was now for certain it was about something bad that had happened to Sousuke, but she did not know what it was. It very well sounded as if he could be dead, but Sousuke was tough and he had promised that he would return to her, so she ruled out that possibility out of illogic or even denial.  
  
"How is that possible?!"  
  
He paused for a minute to listen to what the voice on the other end of the phone was saying. He attempted to interrupt with a few stuttered 'buts' before the voice could finish what it was saying.  
  
"But... I can't do that! The poor girl has been through too much these past two days, I don't think she could handle it."  
  
He paused again to listen to the other person's response.  
  
"How would I know what do look for, I'm not a doctor!" his voice was once again rising.  
  
He sighed a deep sigh of frustration as he once again listened to the other person.  
  
"Well... I'll have to bring her with me. He himself made that request to me, so what should I tell her?"  
  
He paused for a moment again. This time the voice on the other end of the phone was so loud that she could actually hear it through her closed door. Kevin let out another agitated sigh.  
  
"Fine, but I want to be the first to see him. I, as her current protector, need to asses the situation. I will make up a feasible excuse."  
  
So, it really was about Sousuke! But, was he alright? She couldn't wait any longer. She quickly threw open the door and ran out into the living room. The questions flowed out of her in a chaotic fashion.  
  
"Where is Sousuke? How is he? When did he get back? Where did he...? she asked as she grasped her hands to her head in a way to compose herself.  
  
Kevin looked up at her from his position on the couch. His expression was that of one of a deer caught in the headlights of a truck. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally speaking to the person on the end of the line.  
  
"Uh... I... I got to go... I think she heard me."  
  
With that he gently and cautiously hung up the phone. He left his hand on the phone before turning back around to face her. He knew she had been through a lot. She had told him about the feelings of good and dread she had about Sousuke. She told him about the dream. She told him about the tests that were run on her, and she confided in him when she found out that she was a Whispered. He knew what she had been through, and he was well aware personally himself of the human emotional breaking point. He would choose his words carefully. He didn't have much time to choose his words or else he would stress her further from anxiety. He would get the most obviously good news out in the open first.  
  
"Sousuke is back and he's alive."  
  
She let out a sigh of relief and put on a smile of happiness. She let out a squeal of joy as she quickly ran over to Kevin, bent down, and hugged him tightly.  
  
"That is great news! I'm so happy!"  
  
Kevin hugged her in return, patted her on the back, and then pushed her back up straight. He had a relieved look on his face, but that quickly turned to one of trouble. He didn't know what to say. Perhaps he should have spoken faster. But, now he didn't want to ruin her mood. She needed this good new after everything she had been through. He wanted it to all be good news that he had to tell her. She obviously saw the look on his face and made his job of spilling the beans a lot easier.  
  
"Something's wrong isn't it?" she asked putting on a worried expression to match his.  
  
"Yes. I said that he was back and he was alive; I didn't say he was alive and healthy."  
  
She looked at him intensely.  
  
"What? What happened? What's wrong?!"  
  
He swiped his hand roughly through his hair. He was a man of God. It was his job to make people feel better, not worse. He hated it when his job contradicted with his mission contradicted with his duty contradicted with his obligation contradicted with his feelings. But, he was asked and he would answer. He was Kevin Jacobs; he was a confused man not long ago, if not a horrible man. But, he had never lied before, and that was something that he took great pride in. He would not start now.  
  
"He was hurt pretty badly. It seems as if a grenade must have gone off right where he was standing. Amazing enough, all of his limbs are intact and even more amazing, he's conscious, talking, and trying his best to get up and walk around."  
  
She let out a long and loud sigh of relief. She didn't know it, but she had been holding her breathe while he was speaking. She turned back around and smiled at him.  
  
"Kevin, you had me worried! I was fearing the worst!" she chuckled.  
  
"I was afraid that half his body was missing or something!"  
  
"Well, the doctors are astonished about his physical condition. But, what really has them worried is his mental condition."  
  
That caught her attention like a rock to the back of her head. She knew Sousuke's mental condition better than anyone and she kept everyone filled in rather well. So, this had her more than a little bit worried.  
  
"Wh... what do you mean?"  
  
"No, half of his body isn't missing or anything. But, it seems that half of his sanity is. He is spurting out a bunch of disturbing nonsense. He has been rambling nonstop for about two hours now. He will not talk sense with anyone, but he keeps calling for you."  
  
"Well, what are we waiting for; let's go!"  
  
Her response took him a little off guard. He watched her quickly dash to the door in her pajamas and bare feet. She quickly and nervously pulled on a coat. She looked back at him to see that he was still sitting on the couch.  
  
"Hurry up; I'm ready to go!" she said to him in an anxious and annoyed voice.  
  
"Coming!" he shouted as he quickly pulled on his boots without tying them.  
  
He ran over to the door, took his trench coat off the hanger, grabbed his bag of weapons, and opened the door. Meredith was already a few steps ahead of him. She was already opening the car door and letting herself in.  
  
Kevin sighed. He made his way to the driver's side of the car at a hastened pace. This was against his better judgment, but who or what was he to judge. Maybe he didn't always have the answers, despite his wanting to.

* * *

Meredith quickly burst through the doors of the hospital with a load of guards running close behind her. She had pushed past them without showing identification, and now they were hell-bent on not letting her into the hospital. But, every time a guard would reach out for her, he was pulled back by Kevin. Finally, after Meredith was inside, Kevin blocked the door and showed everyone his identification. They finally decided to let them pass, even though they weren't able to do anything to stop them in the first place.  
  
Meredith quickly made her way to the desk in the lobby. She walked up, panting for breathe.  
  
"Where are they keeping Sagara, Sousuke?"  
  
The woman began looking through here file, and then the name finally kicked in. She closed the file, adjusted her eyeglasses, and looked back up at the oddly clothed lady before her. She looked her over and looked at the man beside her.  
  
"You must be Meredith Rily and Father Kevin Jacobs." she stated more so than she questioned.  
  
"Yes, we are, ma'am." answered Kevin.  
  
The woman looked at her computer, typed in a few things, and then looked back up at the two. She slowly rose from her seat and made her way from behind the desk. She walked in front of a door that was to the right of Meredith and Kevin. She motioned her hand towards the door and began walking towards it.  
  
"Please, follow me, and I will take you to him."  
  
The woman continued to slowly walk towards the door. Meredith looked up at Kevin and gave him a questioning look. Kevin nodded in approval. Meredith was a little bit too anxious to keep the slow pace that the woman was taking all the way there.  
  
"Thank you kindly, ma'am, but we don't necessarily need to be accompanied there. If you could just tell us where he is, I'm sure we can find it ourselves."  
  
The woman opened the door and held it open expectantly for the two. She motioned for the two of them to come on in so that she may close the door behind them.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I cannot. As you being his registered nurse, I must fill you in on details that we called you here for."  
  
She had been called in? She was not informed of this. She turned around to look towards Kevin and give him her best threatening glare. He smiled nervously and looked at his imaginary watch, desperately trying to calculate the irrelevant time. Meredith sighed and turned back around. She knew Kevin was trying to do well, but this was not one of the things that she wished he would try to protect her from.  
  
"It is a decent amount to fill you in on, so we must not be in any hurry to get there. You must know what to expect."  
  
She did not like the tone of voice that the woman had when she finished her statement. It sounded like one of warning. She had done work in the hospital many times before. She had used that tone with other nurses, doctors, and surgeons in the hospital before. And, every time she did, it was as a dreadful warning. Usually it was warning about a gruesome sight, an unruly patient, or a horribly disturbed patient. From what she could gather so far, the woman was warning her about Sousuke's mental state more so than his physical state. Besides, they would not call her in if he were horribly wounded. She was only meant to be his main nurse or doctor for simple things such as first aid or curing a cold; everything else was left to the medical professionals. She was a professional in physical, social, and mental psychology. So, that must be why she was called in.  
  
She looked back around at Kevin. He usually had a grand expression on his face. One that one would think could melt thick layers of ice. She had yet to see him wear as grim of an expression as he was at this moment. It frightened her. Obviously, Kevin knew a little bit more about the situation than he was letting on. The phone call had been a little bit more informative to him than she had guessed. She originally thought that he refused to stay in the waiting room because he wanted to see his friend. That was true, but she could now guess his main reason for his insisting to accompany her. Kevin was not a fool when it came to military psychology. He knew that military personnel could sometimes snap under the pressure. Snap to the point of spontaneous violence. He was full- heartedly requested by Sousuke, his most trusted friend, to protect Meredith. Now that Kevin knew who she was, and the fact of her being what he labeled as 'God's Gifted,' he would now protect her more than ever. He would protect her from anyone at all costs. Anyone.  
  
She did not want to think about that. She also did not want her 'abilities' honing in on Kevin anymore than they already had. She now realized more than she could have imagined, the things Kevin had seen before. She did not want to think about that. The woman leading them down the hall brought her back to the conversation at hand.  
  
"You might not like what you see; I know I didn't. He is alive and kicking, literally. He is frantic. He has not spoken anything that has made any sense to any of us. I take that back, he has asked for you."  
  
The woman turned around to look at the young lady and the priest behind her. She looked Meredith in the eyes thoughtfully and smiled. Her smile dropped when she continued.  
  
"His entire team died before him, along with two innocents. It has obviously devastated him. He keeps blaming himself. He has had emotional breakdowns three times now. We are keeping him heavily sedated, but you would think that it was just many CCs of water we were giving him. He occasionally drifts off from sheer exhaustion, but he wakes up screaming, hallucinating, whenever everyone leaves the room. To tell the truth, we would stay in there with him, but we are afraid to. He has already mildly injured one of the nurses, and the restraints seem to be doing no good. We... were hoping you could do something."  
  
The tone in the woman's voice spoke louder than a thousand words. The hospital did not know what was going on; several trained professionals did not know what was going on. They were all confused. This was what they probably considered be an act of desperation on their part. Medical personnel only turned to psychiatrists when there was nothing they could do for the person, or at least they did in this kind of work. This was more than it seemed on behalf of the hospital. This was an act of desperation. They did not know of anything else that could be done.

* * *

Kevin insisted on being the first to enter the area. As soon as he pushed open the double doors, a terrified wail came out of the doors like the cold air that accompanied it. One would not have known who that was, but Meredith did. That was Sousuke. The nurse that was accompanying them took on a completely annoyed expression on her face and dropped all professional façade she had put up before.  
  
"Shit!" she shouted as she threw her clipboard on the floor.  
  
"I thought I gave strict orders and procedures on what to do while I was out of this area. Where is the patient?"  
  
Another younger looking nurse came up to her with a nervous expression on her face. She looked down at her shoes and began wrenching her hands.  
  
"Well, uh... I... I told them to put him in his room. He... he was sleeping soundly, and I did what I was told."  
  
The other nurse sighed in agitation as she quickly strode to the room in which the screaming was coming from.  
  
"You turned off the lights in there, didn't you?" she said with an obvious amount of aggravation in her voice.  
  
"Well, y... yes, of course. You know, we have all had a bout with him, and I would not want him to be... disturbed from his sleep. I figured that if the light was off, he would..."  
  
"Well, from now on, please don't figure anything. Do as I tell you. And, I am telling you now, do NOT, under any circumstances, leave this boy in the dark. It scares the Holly Holy out of him!"  
  
She approached the door and motioned for one of the personnel to come unlock the door. She banged roughly on the door to get his attention and to be heard over his screaming. His screaming stopped immediately and the door knob began rattling. Soon, heavy, panicked breathing followed on the other side. The nurse leaned up to a crack in the door so she could be better heard.  
  
"Sousuke, honey, it's okay, I'm right here. Everything is fine; just calm down a bit. We are opening the door. Did you hear me? We're opening the door."  
  
She turned around to look at the man fumbling with his keys, nervously trying to find the right one. He spoke, but his voice was shaky. Kevin quickly looked towards the door as if he had heard something.  
  
"How is he up and moving around? We handcuffed him to the bed, since normal restraints weren't working."  
  
The man, nurse, and Meredith were quickly knocked to the ground by Kevin doing a flying tackle.  
  
"Get down!" he shouted as he leapt to cover them.  
  
The door went flying off its hinges as a large, steel frame bed shot through the shattered doorway. Sousuke immediately ran out of the room in nothing but a pair of hospital pajama pants. Despite it being so cold in the area, he was sweating profusely. He turned completely around and started slowly walking backwards. He was bleeding badly from the top of his head, his chest was covered with bandages, and a bandage was covering his cheek. He backed away without even taking note of the people lying on the ground. He looked to be horribly frightened. He jumped in surprise when he backed up against a desk. He looked around quickly and then back at the doorway.  
  
"Leave me alone!" he screamed as he tore the computer monitor from the desk.  
  
He hurled the monitor with all his might through the doorway. The monitor burst into hundreds of pieces. Meredith looked at Sousuke with a concerned, yet confused look in her eyes. She was glad to see him alive, but she was seriously worried about him. He looked like a step down from a mummy from all of his bandages. He also had a fresh wound on him, and his behavior frightened her.  
  
"Sousuke, what's wrong?!" she questioned.  
  
The nurse was completely astonished when she saw Sousuke turn around to make eye contact with the lady lying on the floor next to her. He had not made direct eye contact with anyone yet. It surprised her even more when he gave a direct answer to her question.  
  
"She's after me, Meredith! She's going to kill me!"  
  
He looked nervously back at the doorway.  
  
"She... She's... gone?" he questioned in a confused tone.  
  
He staggered around in a fierce pace. He thrust his hand out and knocked over a desk. He quickly walked over to nothing in particular at his fierce stride. Some of the larger men that were in his way quickly and frantically moved to get out of his way.  
  
He took a few more steps to the furthest end of the area. He stumbled around as if he were a toddler just learning to walk. He let out a quick breath as he braced himself against the sink. It was cold to his bare touch. For some strange, this feeling seemed to be the oddest feeling that he could get from the sense of touch. He pulled back quickly like he had placed his hands into a blazing fire. He stumbled back with a startled look in his eyes. He hit a desk behind him, knocking papers, whatnots, and other items to the floor. He stared intensely at the sink before slowly sliding to the floor. He began to shiver violently.  
  
Everyone in the area had stopped what they were doing to watch and see what the young man would do. This was the first time that he was unrestrained, and they did not know what to expect. He was showing violent behavior, but it seemed in no way to be directed towards any of them. But, now he was completely unmoving. Meredith didn't know what to make of this; she had never seen Sousuke like this before, but it was for the most part understandable according to what the nurse had told her. Kevin, who was standing in front of her, turned around to face her and gave her a questioning look. She shrugged her shoulders, mouthed out the words 'I don't know,' and pushed past Kevin so she could better see and talk to Sousuke. Everyone flinched in surprise as Sousuke moved his hand upward without looking in the direction of his almost unconscious action. The hand moved around as if it were searching for something, but to no avail.  
  
"Meredith?" he said.  
  
There was something in his voice that pulled at Meredith's heart. His voice did not sound violent, despite his previous actions. His voice sounded hurt, saddened, soft, desperate, lost... pleading. Meredith advanced a step forward, but Kevin's arm blocked her path. She looked up at Kevin. He had his mouth open as if he wanted to say something. He was staring intensely at Sousuke, but his eyes told of his uncertainty. He looked down at her to see the look on her face. She looked as if she were trying to get his approval. He stopped for a moment and looked back towards Sousuke.  
  
"Meredith?" said Sousuke.  
  
His voice sounded the same as it did before. But, now it also sounded worried, and a bit more pleading. Kevin looked back down at Meredith and nodded his head at her. He moved his arm out of the way to let her pass. She walked at a hastened pace to where he was sitting with his arm outstretched.  
  
"Meredith?!"  
  
His voice sounded a bit more worried and distressed due to the non- immediate response. Meredith sped up her walk into a jog as she heard his desperate voice again. She kneeled down beside him and grasped his hand tightly. He went stiff for a moment and then quickly looked at her in surprise; almost like a delayed reaction. When he turned around to look at her, he was a different person. At least, this wasn't the Sousuke that she knew. He was sweating heavily. He looked absolutely scared out of his mind, and his eyes were what gave him away the most. His look he gave her was innocent, and at first glance, his eyes were innocent. But, the more she looked into his eyes, the more they unsettled her. No, they didn't unsettle her; they scared her. Those were the innocent eyes of a madman, a lunatic, a psychopath. She knew what Sousuke's eyes looked like well enough. They may be the same color and general dilation as Sousuke's, but they weren't Sousuke's eyes. Those eyes had a story to tell, and so unexpectedly, they did.  
  
For a brief moment, all that Meredith could see was Sousuke's eyes. After a little while longer, she couldn't feel anything. It was almost as if her body had gone completely numb; she couldn't move. After that, the screams from her dream repeated themselves. But, this time, it was almost as if the sounds were coming from his eyes. Soon after is when the visions came.  
  
Meredith, in a split second which seemed like hours, saw everything that happened on Sousuke's mission. She saw the horrible and gruesome sight of Sousuke brutally murdering everyone on his team. The most horrific of the vision was that of a little girl holding a teddy bear, stapled to the wall by pieces of shrapnel. She saw his sick smile as he watched his entire team die at his hands. The sight was too much to take. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. She wanted to leave, but it was like her body was nowhere to be found. It was almost like she didn't even have a body to leave with. The vision kept replaying itself. This time the vision of the little girl played itself along with the vision of the little girl from her dream a few nights ago. They were both in the same. Now, she understood what her dream was about. The dreams that she and Sousuke had were not warning of something bad happening to her or Sousuke; they were warning of something that would happen because of Sousuke. All at once, everything ended. She was once again staring into the eyes of Sousuke.  
  
She pulled away quickly and let out a fearful gasp. She began to slowly crawl backwards as he kept his eyes viciously trained on her, afraid of what he may do. Kevin quickly ran to her side and helped her off the ground. She could not manage to pull her eyes away from the ones that were now in the possession of Sousuke Sagara. She heard Kevin calling to her, shaking her, but she could not look at him. Her head was forcefully turned away from the eyes of Sousuke. She was now staring into the face of Kevin. He looked concerned beyond what one could imagine.  
  
"Meredith!" he shouted so loudly it startled her.  
  
She jumped in reaction to his surprisingly loud voice. She covered her mouth and looked at him nervously. She then looked back to Sousuke. This time his eyes did not have the same affect as they had just a second ago. But, they were still not his eyes. They were still the same innocent, yet menacing eyes she saw just seconds ago. She was glad that she was near Kevin and away from arm's reach of Sousuke. What she saw frightened her to no end. She saw murder, chaos, and an evil that couldn't be described with words alone. And, she saw all of this in the man she loved. How could he do all of that? Why did he do it? She felt sick. She covered her mouth in fear that the feeling in her stomach would get the better of her. It was all too much to think about. The man that she had been with had murdered all of his teammates and a little girl. The worst part is that there was a sick, sadistic satisfaction gleaming in those dark chasms that were his eyes. This was the man she was with not long ago. This was the man she loved.  
  
Meredith drew in a few shuddered breaths. The nausea was starting to pass over. Being a psychiatrist, she knew that she couldn't take much more of this. She needed to get out of here. Just being in the presence of this madman was eating away at her nerves. She quickly brushed away the tears that were forming in her eyes.  
  
"Come on, Kevin. Let's get out of here. There is nothing I can do for him. Take me home, please?" she said wiping another tear from her eye.  
  
Kevin let out a hum of acknowledgement. The room was deathly quite as he walked towards Meredith. He put his arm around her, turned her around, and began walking to the door. Kevin knew that she hadn't even tried to help him yet, but he did not question what she may have seen, or what may have had her so spooked a few seconds. He knew that it may be best if she were to leave. Who know, she may be able to try again later, right? He could not imagine what she was feeling in order to make her want to leave Sousuke, especially given his condition. He could only sympathize with her.  
  
Meredith was struggling to keep her composure together when she heard the loud clanging of something against metal. The sound was followed by the multiple sounds of breaking glass. She and Kevin turned around quickly to see what the loud noises came from. They both immediately turned their gazes at Sousuke. His hand was balled up into a fist and was resting inside a newly made dent in the metallic desk he was leaning up against. Broken and unbroken glass tubes littered the floor around him. He was breathing heavily and gritting his teeth. His entire body was trembling violently as if the floor he was sitting on was actually the seat of an electric chair. He had his eyes squint shut and tears were streaming their way out of them. He was unclear as to whether he was sad, angry, hurt, or some other emotion that may cause him to shed tears. This actually surprised Meredith greatly. She had never seen Sousuke cry before.  
  
"Why?! Why are you leaving me!?" he said in a quivering voice.  
  
Meredith looked at him with a surprised expression on her face. His voice did not sound as if he were insane; he sounded hurt, almost as if he were confused in the process. Despite those dreadful eyes, that was Sousuke. She still could not wash the images that she had seen in his eyes out of her mind.  
  
"Meredith? Help me. I'm scared. I don't know what's going on. I don't know what to do. I...I... know what you saw... when you looked at me. I... I don't know... who that was. Please, it wasn't me."  
  
She could have sworn she heard her heart breaking as a reaction to his voice. He sounded like a child trying to convince his parents as to something he didn't do. He sounded uncertain himself, but he also seemed to believe his own words. He was scared; that much was obvious. His words sounded crazy, but his voice sounded otherwise. She knew he wasn't crazy, or at least not at the moment. But, he was confused. He was confused more so than she was. His dreaded eyes told a story of something and someone completely different than Sousuke Sagara; something dark and sinister. But, everything else was Sousuke. She had no doubt that he did those things, but she highly doubted that he did them willingly. No, she knew that he did not do those things willingly. This was Sousuke Sagara, and he would never do anything like that. But, the question still remained as to why he killed those people. Could he have really not have know what he was doing? That sounded unbelievable, but the thought of Sousuke killing people for pleasure was even more unbelievable. Sousuke let his hand rest to his side. He slowly turned his head toward her as if he were reluctant to make eye contact with her, as if he were ashamed. She looked into his eyes again, relieved to see the eyes of the Sousuke she knew and loved. His eyes were now showing a true glint of confusion, hurt, and fear.  
  
"P... please. I know what you saw. I can't blame you... for wanting to leave me. But... I don't know what I'd do... if you were to leave me now. You... you always know what to do. Tell me what to do like you always do. Please, tell me what to do and I'll do it. Please..."  
  
She couldn't take it anymore. That was Sousuke Sagara. Despite what he might have done, that was Sousuke Sagara. Looking at the look on his face and in his eyes, refusing his request, no his plead, would be like refusing to help a small, scared child. She couldn't do that. Never before had Sousuke asked for help like this before. She could not refuse him now.  
  
She couldn't help herself anymore. Screw how it might look to other people, or how it might look against her profession. She quickly pushed past Kevin and made a run for Sousuke. He was on his feet quicker than one could imagine. He let out a painful grunt as Meredith slammed into him a wrapped her arms around him.  
  
"Sousuke, please don't beg me to stay with you. I would do anything for you; you know that. What do you want me to do, Sousuke?"  
  
He stopped for a moment, and pulled away from her embrace with another confused look on his face. He looked around the room he was in as if he were looking for something. He looked back at her with a blank expression on his face. He opened his mouth and stuttered a bit before managing to speak again.  
  
"I... I don't know. I just want... you to... be here."  
  
Meredith smiled in response to his words. He was not thinking quite clearly, but he certainly took comfort in her being there more than anyone else. He hadn't even seemed to have taken notice of his friend Kevin in the room, or any of the other doctors or nurses for that matter.  
  
"Please, don't leave. I'm confused; I don't know what to do; please, tell me what I should do." he repeated once more.  
  
Meredith was starting to put together what exactly Sousuke was wanting or not wanting her to tell him to do. He knew he killed all of the people that were on his team plus two innocents. She knew what it was that he was thinking of doing. He just wanted to know what she thought about him now; that would probably make his decision for him. The last thing she would want was to have more blood spilled, especially his blood. She tried her best to put a smirk on her face as if nothing was bothering. Amazingly enough she actually succeeded. She raised an eyebrow at him and rested her fists against her hips.  
  
"Alright, I'll tell you what to do. The first thing that I suggest that you do is to not think anymore about what you were thinking about doing."  
  
He looked away from her when she said that as if he were ashamed to look at her. He whispered under his breathe.  
  
"Yes, ma'am." he said in an almost solemn voice.  
  
"Good. Next thing that I want you to do is get some rest. You are trying to think clearly, and it's difficult to think clearly while under stressed and exhausted."  
  
"I... can't rest. If I do, she'll come to..." he said before he was interrupted.  
  
"I will stay here with you so that way you won't have to worry about that. Okay?"  
  
Sousuke was silent and contemplative for a moment. Or, at least as contemplative as he could be at that moment. He seemed to be contemplating very hard, but his eyes seemed to act on their own. His eyes were wild.  
  
"Thank you." he said in an almost inaudible voice.  
  
She walked up to Sousuke and put her arm around him and pulled his arm over her shoulder for him. She was worried about his ability to walk; it didn't prove too promising before. She looked over at the nurse and gave her a slight wink.  
  
"Nurse, please prepare another bed for Sergeant Sagara. I believe that the only thing he may need right now would be a good night's sleep."  
  
The nurse smiled and nodded her head approvingly.  
  
"Sure thing. It won't take long."

* * *

Kevin tried his best to block out the loud noises around him. He was forced to all night long, and had managed to quite successfully. The waiting room was obviously no place for sleeping, but he had managed to get a little shut eye anyway. But, now it was starting to bother him. He had managed to go to sleep, but it didn't seem to be enough. He was feeling groggy and had a hard time waking up. He could have easily gone back into his slumber but the yelling voice was persistent. The yelling wasn't directed at him but at someone else.  
  
"What do you mean 'You can't see him at this moment?'" said a voice sarcastic voice behind him.  
  
The voice sounded obviously angry despite the sarcasm present in the tone. It was also male. Kevin felt as if he knew the voice from somewhere before. It certainly did sound familiar. Now... if only he could coax his eyes to open.  
  
"I have traveled all day and night yesterday to get here. Now, you're telling me I can't even see him?! He's my best friend for Pete's sake! I swear to God, if you do not let me back there to see him, there will be Hell to pay!"  
  
"Mr. Webber, I'm sorry, but Mr. Sagara is in no condition to have visitors at this moment! We aren't even sure if he's awake yet."  
  
"Well, I recommend that we go in there and wake his ass up! That lazy bum shouldn't be asleep right now! Hell, it's almost 9:00! I've never known of him to sleep that late!"  
  
"Well, Sir, Mr. Sagara has been through some tough times lately. He really needs his rest."  
  
"I'll show him tough times! I travel a damned 50,000 mile trip here to visit him, and where is that punk when I get here? In the bed! Yeah, I'll show him tough times." he raved.  
  
Kevin finally managed to force his eyes to open. He stretched and groaned in the hard wooden seat before he turned around to look at the person behind him who was causing such a commotion. He grimaced at the tightness of his back as he tried to turn around. The small, hard, wooden chair was not exactly meant to be a place to sleep in the waiting room. He finally managed to turn around to look at the man behind him.  
  
There was a medium height man with long blonde hair behind him flailing his arms around wildly. Kevin smiled. He looked like he was trying to command the elements or doing some sort of spastic dance. He knew from the voice and name that was mentioned earlier that this was Kurtz Webber, self-proclaimed best friend of Sousuke Sagara. He had never met the man before, but he had called twice the day before checking in on how Meredith was before. Meredith informed him as to whom Kurtz was after he called the first time. Since he had heard what he did about Kurtz, it didn't surprise him that the man had come halfway across the world to visit his friend. He had a large box of what appeared to be video tapes, food, clothing, candy, and many other things. The sight of the man flailing was even more humorous because of the handful of helium balloons he had in his hand that would jerk, bob, and thump about as he flailed his hands wildly. Kevin let out a bit of a chuckle that got frantic man's attention. The nurse that was standing there attempting negotiations with Kurtz looked at him with a distressed look on her face which momentarily sparked with a sign of hope.  
  
"Good morning, Father Jacobs! This man is a friend of Mr. Sagara's. His name is Kurtz Webber and he seems to be a little bit distressed since he cannot see his friend as of this moment. Could you please try to fill him in on the ordeal exactly? While you do that, I'll go get some breakfast for you gentleman from the cafeteria."  
  
Kevin nodded his head in acknowledgement. He stood up and stretched his back a little before sitting back down.  
  
"Yes, I would be glad to. I wouldn't care to have a cup of black coffee, if you would be so kind."  
  
He looked at Kurtz and motioned his hand over to the chair in front of him.  
  
"Perhaps you would prefer to have a seat for a little while. I cannot ensure your comfort from these contraptions they call chairs."  
  
Kurtz let out a laugh as he set down in the chair across from Kevin. He set the large box of stuff on the ground next to him and tied to balloons to the table.  
  
"I'm shocked that I'm finally able to meet the legendary, Priest. And, I like him already. I like anyone with a sense of humor. Like I've always said, 'When you are feeling down, laugh, for someday..."  
  
"You will be able to look back and laugh again." Kevin finished for him with a smirk.  
  
"Yes, I think everyone knows your quote."  
  
Kurtz smiled in great pride.  
  
"Yes, but I'm only known by a quote. Everyone knows you by name and by deed. 'The man that can take down an AS with his bare hands!' Yeah, everyone knows of your deeds too."  
  
Kevin smiled once again at the genial man in front of him.  
  
"Only the good ones." he said with a laugh.  
  
"Hey, Father, just so you..."  
  
"Kevin. Kevin will do fine."  
  
"Sure thing. What I was saying is that I would love nothing more than to be able to gab with you about everything, but I really would like to know about Sousuke. I don't mean to sound like an assh... excuse me for my language... I'm kind of worried about him. They only told me that he wasn't in very good condition, and now they won't let me..."  
  
"That's enough. I fully understand your concern. Let me tell you then."  
  
"First, I'm sure you know by now the mission that Sousuke was sent on, right?"  
  
Kurtz put on a serious expression and nodded his head.  
  
"Then, I won't have to tell you about that. I'll instead tell you what happened. To make a long story short, it seems as if his target was expecting them. Everyone on his team was brutally murdered. From the looks of what happened to him: it seems as if he must have tried to jump in the way of a grenade to protect two innocents that were in a house there. The first of the innocents was a man named David Pyre. He was a business associate and interceptor of many Japanese trading companies. Why the target attacked this man, no one knows for sure. The second was his ten year old daughter, Karen Pyre. It makes me sick even just thinking about that. But, it doesn't matter what I think; I'll just stick to the report I read. So, apparently, Sergeant Sagara tried to shield the innocents from a grenade that was thrown by one of the henchmen of the target. It seems as if the assassin just assumed everyone to be dead, and rightfully so. Everyone is still baffled as to how Sousuke is still alive."  
  
Kurtz took a huge smile across his face as the priest's words seemed to brighten him up.  
  
"I'll tell you how. He has the luck of the divine on his side. Plus, he's a tough little son of a bit... sorry for my language... he's pretty tough." he said as if he had stuck his foot in his mouth.  
  
Kevin chuckled quietly at the man he was starting to perceive as a jester.  
  
Kurtz cleared his throat and his face once again went grim.  
  
"So, Sousuke had to watch as two innocent died, huh? I can't even begin to imagine how I would feel if I were to witness something like that."  
  
Kevin sighed and nodded his head in acknowledgment. He had given it a lot of thought despite his better wishes not to.  
  
"So, how is Sousuke exactly? From the way you were talking, he seems to be alright, but according to the staff wanting to keep my as... butt out of, I would get the idea that he wasn't fairing too well. So, is he really alright?"  
  
"Yes, physically. Last night he was up and walking around despite what I would think to be critical injuries. The major thing that is wrong is that, as you could imagine, he's been injured emotionally. He keeps blaming himself for the incident, and none of the doctors or nurses could do anything to help him or make him rest."  
  
"So, I take it that Meredith's back there with him?"  
  
"Yes." he spoke along with letting out a sigh. "Despite my attempts to get her not to. I guess I'm just being a little bit too protective, though."  
  
Kurtz smiled and let out a loud yawn.  
  
"Yep, I understand how you feel about that. But, Sousuke would never harm a hair on that lady's head. He cares too much for her. Plus, I can't think of anyone that may be able to help Sousuke any better than her. From what I've heard, she's been a blessing to him."  
  
"Yes, perhaps you're right. God does provide best for his children."  
  
"I couldn't agree more."  
  
Kurtz let out a sigh and looked around the room. He glanced down at his watch to see the time being just a little bit after nine o'clock in the morning.  
  
"Well, I don't think they're going to let us back there to see Sousuke for a while, so, want to head to the cafeteria? I could really stand to stretch my legs, and it would save that nurse the walk back. Not to mention I'm absolutely starving to death. That food they were serving on the plane? I think it was poison."  
  
Kevin smiled and noded his head. It seemed as if the man had just read his mind since he was just about to ask the same thing.

* * *

The sun's rays filled Sousuke's room and seemed to stop directly on his eyelids. He opened his eyes in a faint squint to see everything in a shiny blur. He rolled around so that the sun was not in his eyes. He opened his eyes to where he could actually see. The first thing he saw was Meredith with her mouth gaping open in a wide yawn. Her usually neatly pressed clothing was wrinkled up in places, and her hair that she constantly kept fixed still looked alright to him, but she would have considered it to be a mess. He smiled at the scene in front of him. She looked over to see him smiling and smiled back at him.  
  
"Well, good morning! It's about time you woke up; I was just getting ready to take another nap myself."  
  
Sousuke looked at her strangely and immediately looked around the room for a clock. There was one hanging on the wall. The time read to be 11:23 a.m. He frowned when he realized the time. He could never remember sleeping that late before. Sleeping so late was inexcusable to a professional. He then started to realize where he was. Then, he frowned when he once again realized the circumstances leading up to where he currently was. Meredith noticed the sudden change of facial expression.  
  
"Sousuke, are you alright?" she asked in a worried voice.  
  
"No, not really. Meredith, I'm a horrible person. I'm not crazy; I wasn't just rambling last night. I really did kill those..."  
  
"Sousuke, I know. And, I know you well enough to know that you would never have done anything like that. That may have been you in body, but it wasn't you in spirit. Now, as far as I, Kevin, the doctors and nurses here, and the rest of Mithril are concerned, there is no way that you cold have killed all of those people. I would highly suggest that you think that way also. Whatever happened, it wasn't your fault. You and I are the only people that know what actually happened; no one else has to know, because that wasn't really you doing that. Do you understand?"  
  
Sousuke paused for a moment before replying. He nodded his head but kept the troubled expression on his face.  
  
"I know it wasn't me in mind. But, that was still me who killed everyone, including Karen."  
  
"Karen? Who's Karen?" she asked in a more confused voice than she meant to.  
  
"The little girl that you dreamed about in your dream was the same one that I... or... you know... killed. That was Karen."  
  
"I see. I can't begin to imagine how that ways on your conscience, but you must remember that you were not..."  
  
"No, you don't understand. I don't know how to explain it, but she is targeting me."  
  
"Sousuke, she's dead."  
  
"You think I don't know that!" he shouted louder than he meant to. He lowered his voice again before speaking again.  
  
"I know she's dead. I did kill her after all. And, as of now, she's pissed about it. She's incorporeal, intangible, invisible to everyone except me, she's..."  
  
"A ghost?" Meredith suggested while raising her eyebrow.  
  
"Yes, that's the best thing I can use to describe her."  
  
"And, she wants to..."  
  
"Hurt me. No, kill me. She already tried to twice last night. That's why I couldn't sleep until you came."  
  
Meredith sighed out a long breathe. She looked over at Sousuke with the utmost sympathy. She grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed it tightly.  
  
"Listen, Sousuke. I know this is tough for you, but Karen is dead. She is not back from the dead trying to get revenge. I know that she may be in your mind. And, in your mind she may be trying to kill you. But, you have to understand that..."  
  
Sousuke looked at her suspiciously. Those horrible eyes were back. They, in all actuality, did not look any different than his actual, but she could tell there was something different about them. Perhaps, it was the powers of the Whispered. However, she knew that those were the eyes of the person who killed all of those people; those were not the eyes of Sousuke. There was a fleeting trace of emotion in those eyes before it was gone again. The emotion was that of anger, but much more of hurt, disappointment, and betrayal. He was badly hurt because she did not believe him. He almost sneered in disgust. But, instead a quick tear made its way down his cheek. He violently wiped it away as if he were disgusted by his weakness. He quickly slid to the side of his bed and began putting on his uniform. He was a little bit more enthusiastic in pulling on his clothing than he should have been.  
  
"Sousuke, I'm sorry. I... it's just that... I..."  
  
His interrupting reply came much sooner than expected. Also, it was in a tone that was dreaded, but not unknown to her. He sounded like he did when they first met.  
  
"Miss Rily, I trust your judgment concerning the matter of my emotional and mental condition. But, in this instance I cannot come to the same affirmation as you do, thus I must throw caution to the wind and go against your suggestion. I should consider that you are the one fully capable of knowing my emotional and mental stasis better than anyone, but this past conversation has proven to me that in some cases your judgment may not be in the best interests of mine. Thus, I will have to consider all recent and prior judgments and advice from your judgment null. All time in your counseling has been an unfruitful consumption of time. Also, all further such contact would likewise be an unfruitful consumption of time."  
  
Meredith looked at him totally flabbergasted. It had been so long since he had referred to her as Ms. Rily. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She never would have expected, but had dreaded if the day would come when all the forward process that she had made with Sousuke would backfire. It seemed that with just a few words, that fear had come true. Now, he was saying something even worse than she would have ever expected.  
  
"S... Sousuke? You're saying that we shouldn't ever see each other again? You're saying that all the time we spent together was a waste of time?"  
  
She let out a forced, nervous laugh.  
  
"I know... you're just kidding, right? Am I right?" she questioned while trying to hold back the tears.  
  
"Negative. Kidding about on such a matter would also prove to be an unfruitful consumption of..."  
  
"What do you mean, 'Negative.' You can't be serious about this! I mean... you just need to think things through a little bit. I'm sorry if I sounded like I didn't believe you. Why don't you just think things through a little bit more?"  
  
Sousuke pulled the laces tightly on his boots. He had to loosen them back up since he pulled a little bit hard on them than he meant to.  
  
"Negative. Contemplating the topic would likewise be a waste of time for the both of us. We are both very busy people, and our time is precious to us. I think that..."  
  
"Damn you, Sousuke! I have been worried sick about you. I have been feeling dreadful ever since you left that morning. I have been waiting mostly by the phone waiting to hear from you, to let me know you were okay. Now, the only thing you can do for me is rip out my heart, drop it on the floor, and kick it across the room?!"  
  
"Negative. If I were to rip your heart out, you would not be standing there right now. I have no desire to rip..."  
  
"Sousuke! What is wrong with you?!" she yelled.  
  
"Nothing is wrong with me. There was something wrong with me before, but now I intend to correct that problem." he stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"But... but what about our feelings we shared. Are you just going to forget about those? Are you going to say that they were also a waste?"  
  
"Affirmative. It is very unsuitable for a specialist to have such emotions. It is even more so to have such emotions for a fellow comrade."  
  
Meredith still could not believe what she was hearing. Everything was so sudden. Once again, the eyes did not belong to Sousuke, but she was still talking to Sousuke. But, this was the Sousuke that she met two years ago. All developments had seemed to have been dropped like a hot potato.  
  
"Meredith."  
  
Meredith held her breath. It sounded once again like the Sousuke she knew was back. His voice was soft, not emotionless.  
  
"Realization has hit me. I want you to know that this is not as a result of anything that you have done. This is my entire fault. Reality kicked me harshly just a little while ago when you didn't believe me. I understand my problem and I realize that I have to deal with it myself. I also realize that merely by being here, I may be endangering you. I cannot allow for this to happen. Since the 4th Mithril Branch has been destroyed, I will put in temporarily at the 17th Mithril Branch and go from there. I am quite aware of what has happened to you recently, and as such, I will have you placed under the best protection available. I will request for Father Jacobs to provide the protection for you that he sees fit. I do not doubt that you don't trust me at all right now, but if by chance you do, you will realize that I am doing this for the better of both of us. Our continuing to be around each other could very well be detrimental for you."  
  
Meredith stared hatefully at the back of Sousuke Sagara. She felt the anger well up deeply inside of her. It made her angry because of what he was doing; it made her even angrier because he sounded so noble. She could not hold back her anger or sadness anymore.  
  
"I can't believe you, Sousuke! How do you know what is best for me?! I would love nothing more than to be with you, you jerk! You are sounding absolutely ridiculous!"  
  
Sousuke stood up and looked in the mirror. He began fixating his flattened hat to the position it was supposed to be. Meredith saw his face in the mirror. He truly looked torn. His eyes were back to the ones that she knew. He was once again Sousuke.  
  
"I... I'm sorry if that's how you feel."  
  
She could tell he meant well by his words, but for some reason, they made her even angrier. She clenched her fists tightly, squinted her eyes closed, and gritted her teeth. It took everything she had to hold back the uncontrollable sobs that were trying to come forth.  
  
"I... I hate you." she said in a barely audible, cracking voice.  
  
Sousuke froze. He clenched his fists tightly and by the expression on his face, one would have thought that all life had drained out of his body. He looked more hurt than she had ever seen him before.  
  
"Sousuke... I'm sor..."  
  
He snapped his eyes back to attention. A sneer made its way across his face and then his expression went unemotional once again. He was still looking in the mirror, so she could still see his face clearly. The only thing out of place on his stoic face was a single tear slowly making its way down the side of his face.  
  
"It is not a problem." he said in a truly unreadable tone as he turned and left the room.  
  
Little did Meredith know that standing in that room crying would be the last time she would ever see Sousuke alive.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED  
  
**Author's Notes:** Well, these flashbacks certainly have lasted a lot longer than I originally thought they would. But, the story will pick up again next chapter. All of this sad, depressing story will start working out a little bit for the better next chapter. I can't say what is going to happen though for fear of ruining the story. I want to thank all of those who have read and reviewed my story so far. I hope that the story will get a bit better in the next few chapters. The next chapter should be out shortly. Thank you.


	11. The Return of the Deathbringer

**Disclaimer: **I make no claim to the ideas, series, or characters of Full Metal Panic.

**The Deathbringer**

**Chapter 11: The Return of the Deathbringer**

_By Adam Lakewood_

* * *

_"Hey, how's it going?"_

"What? Where am I?!"

_"Well, right now? Currently, you're dead."_

"... oh, yeah. I remember now. But... that doesn't make any sense. If I'm... Then how am I capable of thought right now?"

_"I'm fixing you. You're almost good and ready to go. I'm not done here yet, and I certainly can't complete what needs to be done if you die right now. Technically, you've been dead for the past few days. I'm glad you finally decided you would wake your lazy ass up; I was getting kind of bored. We still have some time before you're ready to go, so hopefully we can keep each other company until then. You really got a number dealt on you this time."

* * *

_

The silence in the room was total. It could have even made historians remember back to the rumors of the Chinese Great Silence. Neither of the two women in the room was speaking, nor were they even looking at each other. As had been the case for the past three hours. The only possible thing that could be considered a sound in the silence was not coming from inside Meredith's house, but from the outside in the form of the light roar of the thunder and the soft hiss of the rain as it gently pelted against the leaves of the large trees.

To anyone besides the two ladies in the house, the current setting would have been an unpleasant one. In with the rain came a quick shadowing of the already setting sun. Also with the rain came a slight cold draft. It had been a warm day, but the cold draft and the shrouding of the sun soon made it a slight bit cold outside. As a result, the house had likewise turned cold. Meredith's story had taken her and Kaname's minds off of the uncomfortable temperature of the house since Meredith was so engrossed in telling her story and Kaname was so engrossed in hearing it. The story was enough to also keep the two in a contemplative silence for the past three hours; also keeping their minds off of the cold and the constantly deepening darkness of the room.

Meredith felt somewhat relieved that she was able to tell someone about exactly what she had went through during the major turning point of her life called Sousuke Sagara. There weren't very many if any people that she could tell. For the most part, no one would believe her. The only other person that she was able to tell this story to was Kevin. He was a very sweat person who honestly tried everything that he could to comfort her or to at least take some of that horrible weight form her chest. God bless him for trying, but it still wasn't the same. The major relief came from telling her story to Kaname. Kaname seemed to be able to understand and sympathize more so than Kevin actually could. She had loved the same man, and she also knew the burden of being one of the Whispered. These two things alone made her feel so much more able to confide in her by telling her the story. It also helped that Kaname wanted to hear the story as much as she wanted to tell it. She truly felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted or at least lightened. Telling her story made her feel a lot better, but at the same time it made her feel as if the memories were going to rip her heart out. As the old proverb goes: "Memories can be painful."

Kaname felt torn between her emotions. Whatever way she viewed Meredith's story; it was tragic. But, her emotions conflicted with what _tragic_ truly meant. But, then again that could also just be jealously making itself known.

Because she also loved deeply the same man as Meredith, she felt horrible for her loss. Especially since they had been through so much together. She knew that Meredith must have been feeling just as hurt as she was, perhaps even more considering all they had been through and how long they had known each other. She herself had only known Sousuke for little more than a year, and she already had felt like she had lost an immediate member of her family. The only time she had ever felt this much grief was when her mother had passed away. She knew greatly the pain that she was feeling, and she could not imagine how Meredith must be feeling.

But, because she also loved deeply the same man as Meredith, her 'darker side' felt contempt for her. Contempt, along with other things such as jealously and envy. Sousuke had never opened up to her or treated her like he did Meredith! Why did he never tell her about Meredith? Did he still have feelings for Meredith? Yes, that much was obvious in retrospect. For that, she was feeling a little bit of contempt at the woman.

"Selfish bitch!" she thought to herself about herself.

She would have kicked herself if she were in the right place to do so without arousing confusion.

This kind lady was willing to share her most intimate and tragic memories of Sousuke with her, and she was feeling _contempt _for the lady. Why was she feeling that way? She shouldn't even be feeling that way in the slightest! Meredith, in the hours they had known each other, had grown on her like a new family member. She felt more comfortable around Meredith than she did a family member or a good friend.

It was an unreasonable excuse, but she actually understood somewhat why she was feeling this way.

Meredith was incredibly nice. There was no measurement to how nice she was. She was incredibly smart too and beautiful. All of her traits started stacking up in the "good column." There were none to be found in the bad. Meredith was what many men and women alike would consider to be the 'perfect woman.' If she had to sum Meredith up into just a word, that word would be 'perfect.'

Sousuke loved this woman, and with good right to also. They had had their ups and downs, but in the end, Sousuke still loved Meredith. He told her that much himself. A man would have to be crazy to not feel attracted to her. She was after all, the 'perfect woman.'

Those two major facts of Meredith being the perfect woman and Sousuke being in love with her brought up another painful fact. Kaname knew that she loved Sousuke dearly and would have thought that he loved her in return. But, now there was not much hope of that left since she now knew exactly who Meredith was and what her and Sousuke's relationship was before.

Kaname thought back on their relationship. Sure, they had their... pleasant moments. But, that did not seem to compare with what he and Meredith had. She was also forced to think logically on this matter.

Meredith seemed to be described with the verb 'perfect', and she seemed to be described as the exact opposite in comparison. She was not even a shadow of the woman that Meredith was. There was no doubt in her mind that Sousuke would have definitely loved Meredith more than her. How could he not? And, all along she had been so foolish that Sousuke may be able to return her feelings. She was now reminded of another proverb: "The truth hurts."

She was startled by a sudden flash of yellow light in the room. She quickly looked over towards the direction it came from. Meredith was now moving her hand away from lamp setting on the table next to her. Meredith looked up at her and smiled.

"I'm sorry if I startled you. It was getting a little bit too dark in here."

She got up from her position on the couch and walked over to one of the windows to peer out. There wasn't much she could see. The sun had almost completely set, and the rain outside and that pouring down the window shrouded everything else from sight. Everything appeared as a grayish haze with a few bright colored hazes coming from some of the cars outside. She hated this kind of rain. She knew all too well what this type of rain was. It made her shiver. Or, perhaps that was just due to the temperature of the room.

"And, now that I notice, it's getting a tad bit chilly in here too. Are you cold?"

Kaname managed to nod her head in response to the woman. There wasn't really much more that she could do at that moment. An audible reply seemed to be far out of her reach.

Meredith moved over to the thermostat to turn on the heat. She fiddled around with the buttons a little bit before closing it back up. There was a low roar of the heater, which obviously hadn't been used in a while, starting back up. Meredith walked away from the thermostat once she felt a gust of warm air come up out of the air vent. She walked back over next to Kaname and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Kaname, you really shouldn't think like that, because none of that is true. I am no better of a person that you are."

Kaname looked up at her in surprise. She felt slightly embarrassed by the woman's words. They were like the words that a mother would tell to her daughter. It was like she was reading her...

"No, I was not intentionally reading your mind. But, you were a little bit too loudly. I can pick up those kinds of thoughts when I'm not even trying. Sorry, I couldn't help it."

She let out a sigh and sat down next to Kaname. She stared out the window before speaking again.

"Most of the time, we are the only people that truly notice the bad in ourselves. When we begin to notice that, it a lot of the time overshadows the good. You see all the good in me, and maybe you can't see the bad. However, I can see all of the bad in me, and very little of the good. I would be tempted to say that right here with Kaname Chidori, I am a pretty good person, but not even half that of the person sitting next to me."

She did not bother to look at Kaname when she said that. Kaname looked over at her in surprise. What she was saying actually made a good deal of sense. She didn't really know why she didn't think of that before.

"But, you know, I know that isn't true. I've learned to quit thinking like that, because every time I do, I always end up feeling depressed. I just try to remember that we are all humans, and all humans are created equal. ... With the exception of Kevin." she said as she let out a little bit of a chuckle.

Kaname smiled a little bit before looking back over at Meredith.

"Yeah, you're right. So, what exactly is up with Kevin? He isn't one of the Whispered is he?"

"Nope. He's not. I even ask him about that and I get the same answer every time. 'I have a gift from God to do His work.' And, the scariest thing is that I'm starting to believe him more and more everyday."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't exactly believe in that kind divinity really, but it makes me stop and think when I listen to him or see him putting that 'gift' to use."

She smiled slightly as she remembered many of Kevin's kind words to her during those few hours they were together.

"I really like Kevin. I hate to sound like a total fangirl, but I don't think that there could be a better person than him. I mean, is the man flawed in any way?"

Meredith laughed at Kaname's question. She also laughed because she had also wondered that same question before.

"Well, I have indeed pondered for hours before trying to possibly find something about him that could be a flaw. I even asked him and he said "Of course, just like any other man and more so, I have my flaws." You would think that by listening to him that he is the most horrible man in the world, but after all of the pondering I did, I still wasn't able to think of anything that was wrong about the man."

Kaname nodded her head in agreement. She had been thinking herself of a flaw that Kevin might have, but like Meredith, she was able to come up with none. But, then a sneaky question occurred to her.

"Hey, while we are on the topic to trying to find flaws about an unflawed man... I have a question."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Well, you see, you told me that Kevin has never told a lie before. Well, he told me that you were a nun, and you are telling me that you _aren't_ a nun. I mean absolutely no disrespect to you, but you don't exactly act like a nun that I've studied about. So, does that mean that Kevin lied to me? If so, I think I found a flaw."

Meredith smiled at the younger lady's wit. Couldn't really put one past her.

"Or, is that a part of your protection cover up?"

Meredith smiled a bit wider. Once again, the younger woman's perception surprised her. It was obvious that she had indeed been around Sousuke for a while. Sousuke always liked to point out these sorts of things to her, especially political conspiracies. He was usually right the most of the time. It seemed he also enjoyed sharing this same pass time with Kaname.

"Yep, you got it. No, Kevin didn't lie because that is what is _official_. All records say that I left the military and joined the church as a nun. As a matter of fact, Kevin specifically requested that these beginning lies be made into fact, so that way he really wouldn't be lying."

"Once again, I mean no disrespect to you or Kevin. I'm just curious. Wouldn't or shouldn't Kevin be upset that everyone believes you to be a completely devoted to God, even though you really aren't totally devoted. I know its part of the cover up, but in a way, you are still using the church and the faith that Kevin seems to hold so dear."

Meredith nodded her head. She had never really thought that much about it before, but since she knew Kevin better than Kaname did, the answer came quickly to her.

"That's a good point. But, Kevin is not dedicated to the church or a religion. What he sees is that he knows more of what God expects than any church, book, or religion. I can't really place him to a certain religion, because he seems to believe a lot differently from many of the religions. This being the case, he believes that I am one of what he calls "God's Gifted", which are the Whispered. He believes that we should not have these kinds of powers unless we were truly special under God's eye. Kevin believes differently from almost every religion in a major way; he believes that God does play favorites. He believes that we, the Whispered, are his favorites of all his 'children.' To him, this is more than an opinion, this is a solid fact and no one can convince him otherwise. Since he knows this, he will do everything he can in order to protect me and now you also. This does not exclude using the church and the Catholic faith since he doesn't really believe much in either. Instead of see himself as a tool for the church or a religion, they are his tools. Kevin believes that, in that light, he is _the_ tool of God, so churches, religions, and popular words are his tools. It is really hard to explain, but it boils down to Kevin seeing the church as one of many walls that protect me. He believes that my protection take priority over any other religious beliefs that he may hold. In his eyes, it is all justified."

Kaname nodded her head in acknowledgement. Despite Meredith's thinking not, her explanation actually made a lot of sense. She was interrupted from her thoughts by Meredith laughing and getting up from the couch.

"You know, now that I actually think about it, I can actually think of something that may be considered a Flaw of the Jacobs."

"Oh, yeah? What would that be?" Kaname asked with a smirk.

"He's grumpier than a small child when he's hungry." she said with a laugh.

"Really? I never would have guessed that."

"Yeah, it seems as if his stomach is his weak point." she said while looking up at the clock in the living room.

"And, he left out early this morning, it's going on to seven o' clock, and somehow I doubt that he's eaten anything. I lost track of time; he should have already been here, so he should be here at any moment. I better start dinner, or else he'll be so grumpy we won't be able to stand him!" she said as she left into the kitchen.

Kaname got up and followed behind her.

"Well, I don't doubt your ability to cook, but considering the rush I think I should help out a little bit; my cooking skills are somewhat decent."

"Yes, thank you. Your help would be most appreciated. I've been doing all of the cooking for me and Kevin for going on to two years now; a change of taste and cook might be completely acceptable. Also, about you not doubting my cooking skills, you should. I can hardly cook anything."

* * *

"Why don't you just let me die?"

_"Because I still need to use you. Besides, you should be thankful. I'll even let you ride shotgun. So, we'll pretty much be sharing a body."_

"I would prefer to die. All you're going to do is do what you did last time you took control of me. Death, destruction, mayhem, chaos...

_"So, you finally figured out who I was! Good for you, dumbass. I thought you were a bit smarter than that."_

"I do not wish to live if that is what I will be taking part in."

_"No. I will respect what you want and will not go on bloody massacres like I did last time. But, in return, you have to respect what I want. You don't want to kill innocent people; I want to kill. So, we'll have to find the middle ground. That is: I don't care if they're innocent or not. Surely you have some enemies?"

* * *

_

"Meredith, this food is delicious!" exclaimed Kevin as he spooned yet another glob of corn into his mouth.

"Why thank you very much, Kevin." said Meredith with a grin.

Kaname smiled as she took another bite of the pork roast.

"Yes, did you do something different? I think this is the best food that you have cooked! It is great! Don't you think so, Kaname?" he said after chasing the corn with some apple juice.

"Yeah, it's pretty good."

"Kevin?" said Meredith with a smile.

"Yes? What is it, Ms. Iron Chef?" he said swallowing a bite of baked potato.

"Kaname cooked all of the food." she said with an evil smile.

Kaname put her hand up to her mouth to cover her smile. Kevin had already speared another piece of macaroni and cheese with his fork by the time Meredith finished her sentence. His smile dropped as he looked like a deer caught in the headlight of an on coming car. He kept his fork where it was at as if it were stuck. He quickly put a nervous smile back on his face as he looked over at Kaname.

"Well then, Kaname, this food is very good."

"Is hers better than mine, Kevin?" Meredith asked with an evil grin.

"Well, at the moment, yes. But that could just be because I haven't eaten anything since I ate that pizza early this morning."

"Kevin, you never lie. So, tell me. Is her food overall better than mine?"

She loved to make him sweat. Not much at all made him sweat, but it seemed as if he was now. She had him on the spot and he knew it. Now Kaname was glaring at him expectantly also. He felt as if he were one large slab of meat in the middle of two hungry dogs. No matter who got him, he would be torn to pieces. He suddenly smiled as he lifted his spear/fork from his plate and took the bite of food in his mouth.

"I refuse to answer that question. More like I refuse to be put in the predicament to where I will be offending someone. I will say only that I enjoy every meal that is prepared for me no matter who makes it for me. So, tonight my thanks go to Kaname." he said as he held up his glass of apple juice in salute and took a quick drink of it.

"By the way, ladies, you may want to start getting ready. I've added an extra night to the visitations of friends for Sagara."

Meredith almost spit out her water. Kaname looked at the man with a look of surprise on her face. Meredith was the first to voice her displeasure.

"What do you think gives you the right to do something like that?!" she almost shouted.

"Considering the circumstances, every right." he said with a stern look that he turned to them both.

"I'm sure that Kaname has by now given you all the details about what has happened."

"Yes, she told me while we were fixing dinner."

"Then, no doubt she told you about the woman that gave us all the trouble?"

"Well... yes, she did." Meredith said while lowering her head.

"This isn't something to talk about over the dinner table, but since you feel as if you have the right to question me about _my_ rights, I will tell you. That woman could have killed Kaname and me easily if she wanted to. Somehow we managed to escape her the first time, and the second time we were saved by a phone call. You have also probably been informed that the woman wanted you dead also. I have plenty of reason to believe that she will be coming here to finish the job. Kill multiple birds with one stone, if you will. I have no doubt that I will not be able to stop her, at least not by myself. I informed Mithril that the church would be accepting friends for two days. This is plenty excusable since Sousuke had no family that would be coming on the night that only family would be accepted. Since I informed them this morning, Captain Testarossa of the Tuatha de Danaan assault submarine has already arrived. She is being housed no more than a mile's distance away from here. And, with her came a large number of elite and non-elite military personnel. A few of which were also friends of Sousuke's and a few of which are here for the sole purpose to protect Captain Testarossa if that need were to arise. I did not inform them of the expected danger in fear that they would not come. I did this in order to get the extra military support. I believe that I just may be able to keep the both of you safe that way."

Kaname couldn't believe what she was hearing. Nor could she find any logical sense in what Kevin was saying. Another large amount of people could be put at risk for the better of her protection. Many people had already died because of her, and she did not want anyone else to share that horrible fate. She stood up and slammed her hand down on the table making a few of the plates and eating utensils jump and rattle on the table. Kevin looked at her with a slight hind of agitation in his eyes.

"How can you do something like that? By doing that you will also be putting Tessa at risk along with many other unknowing soldiers!"

"Yes, I am aware of that. The soldiers will be protecting Tessa if Ace does decide to attack us during the next two days. Since they would also be protecting their captain, they would view you as civilians and protect you also. I hate to sound like a braggart, but I know for a fact that I alone can protect the two of you better than a platoon of Mithril soldiers would." he said as he took another sip of his apple juice.

"If that is so, then why are you calling them over? You said yourself that you are no match for Ace, and you also just said that you are much better than an entire group of the Mithril soldiers! So, if they do have to fight Ace, they will all die, and there will be no one else left to protect Tessa!" shouted Meredith who now stood up beside of Kaname.

"Not true. I will be left to look after the three of you, which as I said before, may just be better than their entire group."

"If you know that the soldiers are not going to be able to stand a chance against the woman, then why have you called them over? You have pretty much set them up to die!" shouted Kaname.

"They would at least allow for us a getaway. Obstacles, time delays, distractions, diversions... meat shields." he said solemnly as he watched the apple juice swirl in his glass as he rocked the glass on its base.

Both of the two were expecting, but not quite ready for such a response. They stood slack-jawed and staring at the man in disbelief. Meredith was the first to voice her displeasure.

"How can you say that so casually and confidently?! That would be almost one hundred people that would die! They would be sacrificing their lives for only me and Kaname, and then another one of 'God's Gifted' that wasn't in any danger, would then be in danger! How could you live with doing something as terrible as that!?" shouted Meredith as she too slammed her hand against the table.

Kevin quickly thrust his finger out that made the both of them take a surprised step back from the table. With his other hand, he rammed his butter knife through the table. He quickly got up from his seat, knocking it over, and gave the two a hateful look.

"Because I can more easily live with the worst of scenarios in that case than I could with the others! All human life is precious! But, you must understand... No, I don't care if you understand, but I need you to understand that I understand that the lives of God's Gifted are much more priceless compared to the worth of a regular human life! It pains me greatly when anyone dies, but I can do what has to be done because I know priority! Under the worst case, all the soldiers would die and no one would be able to help Captain Testarossa, but we three would be able to escape. I am fully aware that Captain Testarossa is one of God's Gifted, but it is much better if one were sacrificed than three. Under the better case, everything would be the same as the worst, but we would be able to escape with Captain Testarossa. Under the best case, the Lord himself would grant one of his miracles and everyone would live. But, though the Lord loves us all, he would still not intervene. He has placed me with this job, and I must do everything I can to make sure I do not fail Him." he said as he fell back down into his chair with a painful wince.

He propped his elbows up on the table, lowered his head, and covered it with his hands. He let out a long, shaky sigh before continuing.

"I know that I could very well be sacrificing a hundred men or more and possibly one of God's Gifted. But, I can at least ensure the safety of the both of you. I know that for sure I can do that. I will not blame you if you both hate me for this, nor do I expect you to understand my logic or beliefs behind my decision. But, I do know that I am making the best decision in this case. The Good Lord will not allow me to make a wrong decision when it comes to protecting His Gifted. I can at least have that much faith in Him." he said lowering his head as not to make his face visible.

He knew how this was sounding. He sounded like a monster to everyone but himself. But, he had to do what he could to protect God's Gifted. Never before had God led him to make a wrong decision concerning his job. As horrible as a thing as this was, he knew that he was making the right decision. His decisions concerning this matter _were_ the Lord's decisions. He would like to say that the decision was hard for him to make, but then he would be lying. He knew that this was the correct decision for keeping Meredith and Kaname safe, so there was no hesitation on his part about making the decision. He could only imagine how horrible Meredith and Kaname were feeling about this. There was the possibility that near a hundred people would be sacrificed for their safety. To them, that would be completely unacceptable. They would never agree to such a decision if they had a choice in the matter. They did not believe in what he did; they did not see themselves as he did; they did not know how special they were.

"We can pray that I'm just being a fool and that nothing like that will occur." he said in a low tone.

Kevin lowered his head even further. His muscles went momentarily limp, his arm dropped off of the table, and his fork escaped his grip and hit the floor. He slowly placed his hand back on the table, and slowly, painfully lifted himself from his chair. He let out a sigh as he pulled his gloves back on his he put his trenchcoat back on. He lifted the car keys from his pocket and turned to the door. He looked up at the clock in the kitchen.

"Thank you for dinner, Kaname. It was delightful, but unfortunately I've lost my appetite. It is about a quarter after seven right now; it will begin at nine o' clock."

He winced and hissed in pain as he bent down to dust off one of his boots. He quickly shot back up and decided that the bit of mud could wait till a later time. He threw up his hand as he began walking towards the door.

Meredith looked over at Kaname to see her already looking at her. Her eyes were seeking an answer to something. One glancing scan of Kaname's mind revealed all that she needed to know about how Kaname was feeling. She believed exactly like herself. She did not understand what Kevin was doing, but she did _trust_ what Kevin was doing. Meredith now felt slightly guilty. Normally, anyone would have all right to lecture someone or even hate them over such a decision, but not her. She knew Kevin too well. When ever Kevin was near, everything always seemed to work out. Maybe he did have a purpose specifically given to him by God. Whatever it was about him, she felt ashamed for doubting him. For as long as Kevin had been around her, everything that was good turned out great, and everything that was going wrong started turning right. Now, would also probably be the case. She knew Kevin was feeling bad for the decision that he had to make, and he would probably feel even worse if he thought that he did not have the support of the two people who he was trying to protect.

She quickly looked over at Kaname and nodded her head. She turned and went after Kevin into the living room at a hastened pace, and Kaname followed close behind her. She walked up behind Kevin and poked him in the rib. He yelped in pain as he turned around and looked at her.

"Ouch! That hurt, Meredith!"

Meredith looked around at Kaname and put a smile on her face. Kaname soon followed suit and also changed her grim expression.

"Yes, I expected it would. You never grunt or groan or wince in pain! So, you must be a little bit hurt. Come in the bedroom and let me and Kaname patch you up. You can't really protect us to the best of your ability if you're wounded, now can you?"

* * *

"No, I don't have any enemies as of current."

"_Oh, but I think you do!"_

"I believe that I would know whether or not I have any enemies better than you would."

_"Don't forget that I am you."_

"Good point. But, I still don't know of any enemies that I may have as of yet."

_"Think a bit harder; you're sure to come up with a list."_

"Well, then who do _you _think are my enemies?"

_"Hell if I know! But, if I were you, I know I would have a LOT of enemies."_

"Don't forget that you are me."

_"...good point. How about that strange chick in the leather that is trying to kill Kaname and Meredith?"_

"What the hell are you talking about?! Someone's trying to kill them?! Why?!"

_"Oh, dear. You didn't know?"_

"How _could_ I know?!"

_"What you're telling me that you can't feel it? The answer lies in the wind, Grasshopper! Literally."_

"...now that you mention it..."

_"Ut-oh."_

"What do you mean, 'Ut-oh?!'"

_"You know, ut-oh: a commonplace utterance of an acknowledgment of a mistake, tragedy, or..."_

"Go to Hell!"

_"Sure thing."_

"... ... ... screw you."

_"Now that's just kinky! Considering that I am..."_

"You are really starting to bother me. Tell me what you were..."

_"Ditto. Fine, I'll tell you. My singular utterance of 'ut-oh' was a result of me realizing a calculation. Approximate danger will be here in precisely two hours and thirteen minutes. It will be at least four hours before we're completely ready to kick ass and take names, so..."

* * *

_

"Kevin! I can't believe you! You were hurt and you still didn't tell me?!" said Meredith as she wrapped another layer of bandages around Kevin's ribcage while Kaname continued to bandage his shoulder.

Kevin Jacobs was slowly being doomed to mummification. He seemed to have pressed a few sympathy buttons with his last words, but now it seemed as if they were mad at him for those exact, heartfelt words. His torture would be slow and painful. The bottle of iodine that each of the women were armed with would make sure of this. The acidic liquid had already been applied to many of the cuts on his body that were now covered with bandages. There should have been a procedure to their treating of his wounds, or so he would have thought. Instead of cleaning the cuts, icing the bruises, or wrapping the fractures or breaks first, they instead seemed to start at the head and were making their ways down from there, treating injuries as they came across them.

He was also very cold. The room temperature still hadn't reached a comfortable setting yet, and he was drenched with water and the dreaded acid called iodine. It didn't help that he had to sit naked on a cold wooden chair with nothing but a towel to cover his lap.

"Well, it wasn't really anything major, and I knew that you both had a lot to talk about. I didn't want to be any sort of hindrance. Ouch!" he winced as he felt a solid jerk on his shoulder.

Kaname sneered at him as she loosened the bandage that she may have... accidentally pulled a little too tight.

"Kevin, what gives you the right to think that you would be a hindrance to me? Especially all that you've done for me! Coming from you I would have thought that to be sarcasm. I'd be much more inclined to say that I'm a hindrance to you."

"Yeah, that goes for me too. I think I speak for myself and Kaname both when I say that we're sorry." said Meredith as she fastened the last layer of the bandage around his ribcage.

Kaname nodded her head in agreement.

"We had no right to say some of the things we did a little while ago. Sure, it distressed us that you considered that possibility, but that won't happen while you're around!"

Kevin looked over at Meredith and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you do, do you?"

"Yep! Kevin, nothing ever goes wrong while you're around. I don't have to remind you about what happened a little over a year ago. While I've been with you, everything that could have gone bad didn't and everything that could have possibly went good went better. The same can even been said in the little while that Kaname was with you. You, her, and everyone else at that restaurant _should _have died but didn't. And, what was it that saved you all? A sudden call on the woman's cell phone. What are the chances of that happening? I'll tell; there is _no_ chance that something like that could happen, but it did. No, Kevin, you are a walking, talking, Karate-chop action, good luck charm." she continued with a laugh.

"I guess you've got a point there."

"And, what do you mean, "wasn't really anything major?" I don't know about you, but I would call a sprained shoulder, a fractured elbow, hundreds of cuts, four broken ribs, two pulled tendons: one in each leg, and a magical disappearing piece of your spinal cord 'something major.'"

"Yeah, maybe you're right."

"No, no maybes about it; she _is _right." Kaname added in.

"Yeah, you're right; maybe I should have told you earlier."

"No, no maybes about it; you definitely should have let us known earlier." insisted Kaname.

"Ok, so you're right and I should have let you known sooner."

"That's much better." said Meredith with a smile. "Let me see your left leg."

"It's just that... I'm kind of ashamed about it really. I've never been hurt this badly before by anyone or anything. I have never met anyone like that Ace woman. I... I didn't even stand a chance." he said as he lowered his head.

Kaname knew that he wasn't saying this to make her feel bad, but it definitely was. Kevin, a man that she hardly knew, could have died because he was trying to protect her. If she were not there, then he would not have been hurt. And, there would be a possibility that Meredith wouldn't be getting involved with this. She frowned at her thoughts. Just how many people were going to die because of her?

Kevin noticed that Kaname had stopped washing the crusted blood off of his back. She had been rinsing out the washcloth a little bit longer than it really needed to be. He looked around at her to see her staring at the floor. He really needed to start watching what he was saying a little bit more. He knew what she must be thinking since he had managed to stupidly blurt something like that out. He needed to change the mood a little bit. If there was anything that he hated worse than being depressed, it was seeing other people depressed. So, he did the only thing he could think of. He smiled.

"But, you know? I think that's what I needed! I've never been beat before, and I think I might have been getting a little bit too much of a complex considering my skills. I was starting to think I was invincible. So, that's probably actually what I needed: someone to put me in my place. Now, because of that, I know that there are some people that even I can't stand against. Now, I will be a much better bodyguard in the future." he said with a laugh, trying to sound as if he were laughing at the irony of it.

"And, I suppose the end results aren't that bad. I'm sitting here naked with two very beautiful women patching me up! I would say that any man would go through that kind of beating to be where I am now!" he said with a laugh.

Kevin was watching Kaname through the mirror in front of him. That actually brought a smile to her face.

"Yeah, well you better not get any crazy ideas because of this. We might not do this every time you get injured. For some reason I can now see you _trying_ to find ways to injure yourself!" Kaname said with a laugh.

Kevin let out a chuckle as he cleared his throat with a cough.

"Yeah, there's a swimming pool just down the road. Maybe next time, I'll go swan-dive into the kiddy pool."

That earned a round of full hearted laughter from everyone. Meredith rose up after she got done wrapping a bandage around a large gash in Kevin's leg.

"Well, I think that's got it! You're good to go unless you have any injuries under that..."

"No, if I had any injuries there I wouldn't be walking. Thank you for patching me up, ladies. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get dressed. We're expected over at the church at nine." he said as he glanced at his watch on the sink.

"The time is 7:52."

With that came a couple of surprised gasps from the two women as they quickly scurried out of the room in a hurried panic.

"I still haven't fixed my hair yet!" exclaimed Meredith.

"And, I still haven't picked out what I'm going to wear!" shouted Kaname.

"Calm down you two! We still have almost an hour before we have to leave!"

"Kevin, you know how long it takes me to get ready for something like this!" Meredith called back.

"And, you have _no idea_ how long it takes _me_ to get ready!" added Kaname.

Kevin sighed and put an amused smile on his face. He stood up a bit slowly and lifted his knees to his chest one at a time, making sure that the partial mummification would not hinder his movement too much. He pulled on his boxer-shorts followed by a fresh pair of jeans. He then put on his weapon belt and fastened it tightly. He let out a somewhat saddened sigh.

He would have much loved to see his friend one last time. However, he would not want to go and gaze upon a dead body. To him, that was taboo that he didn't want. So, there would be no need for him to dress fancy tonight since he wouldn't be showing his face inside the church. He would instead pull a little bit of extra guard duty. He heard the two women in another part of the house say a few hurried words to each other as they passed each other in their frantic race to transform themselves into different people. He often made fun of Meredith by calling it 'slow polymorphing.'

"Geez! How long do you two think you are going to take? I might just lay down and take a nap if you're going to be as long as I think you are." he stated with an impish grin on his face.

"Kevin! We have still got to pick out what we're going to wear, shower, fix our hair, and all of that!" Meredith called back to him in agitation.

"Yeah, and we _have_ to be done in less than an hour, so we won't be that long!" Kaname continued.

"Oh, ok. Don't forget to put on your war paint also!"

Meredith let out an aggravated groan at the man's input.

"And, I suppose that's your terrifying war cry?"

"Shut up, Kevin!" yelled Meredith.

"Hey, what do you mean 'war paint'?!" questioned Kaname from another room.

"That's what Kevin refers to as makeup."

"Oh, I see." replied Kaname with an obvious tone of ill intent.

Kevin put back on his white t-shirt, and then went on to fasten, buckle, and tie his boots back on his feet. He sorted all of his weapons on his belt into proper position. After which he pulled his trenchcoat over him. Now that his wounds had been brought to mind, all of the weapons and the trenchcoat full of weapons seemed to weigh a lot more than they did before. Rather uncomfortable he had to admit. Oh well; he would have to deal with that for a while. He walked out into the living room and turned his head to the hallway to call out to whoever would be listening.

"Hey, I'm going out for a few minutes; I'll be back here in just a little bit."

"Alright." Kaname called back to him.

With that Kevin left out the door. There were a few things he needed to do and confirm before they went to the church.

* * *

"... What exactly are you going to do when we're done with this... you know... whatever you call it?"

_"...Resurrection?"_

"I suppose that's just as good a word as any. So, what do you plan to do when we're done... resurrecting? Will I be in control of my body?"

_"Well, I believe I'll let you be in control since it was your body to begin with. But, be warned ahead of time: I will meet your needs by letting you take control of your body, but if you do not fulfill my needs, I will take control. Is that understood?"_

"Yeah, I suppose I have no other choice."

_"Good. When we are done resurrecting, I think we need to eliminate the threat."_

"That sounds reasonable."

"... but what exactly do _you_ consider to be the threat?"

_"Hot damn! I think you've finally started to figure me out. I consider anything living to be a threat. But, not to worry, I said I will respect your wishes; I will. I will not insist that everyone that is alive dies, but I do expect to see a fair amount of bloodshed, so you better be thinking of some or all enemies you have made in the past. We can call this our 'shopping list.' We'll start with that sexy woman in that skin-tight leather."_

TO BE CONTINUED


	12. The Eye of the Storm

**Disclaimer: **I make no claim to the series, ideas, or characters of Full Metal Panic, nor do I make claim to William Blake's "The Tyger"

**Author's Notes: **I want to say that I am _very _sorry for such a long delay on updating this story. I suddenly realized that my original idea wasn't going to work out _entirely_, and didn't know quite where to take it. So, I started work on a different story, "Defining Normalcy," and decided to wait for inspiration to strike me before I tried to continue with my story. Months later… and inspiration still has not struck me. So, I took an idea and went with it. The story is developing again, so I hope it will be good. Now, we're bringing on the action. (I have watched far too many martial arts films to not include action in any of my stories.) I will now part with a tip to all of you writers out there: If you wait for inspiration to come to you before you write, you will never get anything written. The muse doesn't just come to us; we have to drag him/her out. I want to thank everyone for all of their reviews, and thank you all for being so patient. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy.

**The Deathbringer**

**Chapter 12: The Eye of the Storm**

_By Adam Lakewood_

Kaname was not surprised that there were so few people there. It was to be expected considering the circumstances and who he was, but it still made her feel horrible that there were so few people that would mourn his death.

She, Meredith, and Kevin had just walked through the door. Kurtz and Melissa were sitting in one of the middle rows. It took a second look for her to notice that the man with _short_, blonde, hair was Kurtz. It seemed as if he had decided to cut his hair before he came. It was also kind of odd for her to see him in a tuxedo; it just didn't fit with what she had previously seen him wear. Melissa was sitting next to him. She turned around as soon as she saw the door open and smiled at Kaname. She would have seemed to be just fine considering the way she was smiling if only her eyes weren't red and swollen. She threw up her hand and motioned for them to come have a seat. Kaname held up her finger to signal that she would take the seat in a moment.

She looked around the room to locate Tessa. She was sitting in one of the front rows between Kalinin and Mardukas. Tessa was sitting uncharacteristically slouched over in the chair. She was grasping a handkerchief between her hands.

Kalinin turned around to see who had just come through the door. His eyes soon settled on Kaname as a familiar face. He nodded his head in greeting. He looked over at the girl sitting next to him; he figured she would want to know that her friend was here. He raised his hand and moved it over to touch her on the shoulder. He hesitated for a second before he actually commenced to get her attention.

Tessa immediately looked up at him quickly when she felt his touch on her shoulder. His mouth moved a little bit, letting out a few whispered words, unheard to all but her. He motioned with his head toward Kaname while he continued to say the unheard words. Tessa looked over in surprise at where Kalinin was motioning to. She saw Kaname and smiled. She got up from her seat followed by Mardukas and Kalinin. The three readjusted the chairs and starting making their way over to the group who had just walked in. Kaname took a step forward to meet the three on their way over.

Kevin beat her to it. He was already three steps ahead of Kaname as soon as she took the first step. He purposefully stepped in the way of Kaname and Meredith's path to ensure that he would be the only one to encounter the three first.

Something had been bothering him from the second he, Meredith, and Kaname had arrived outside the church. His troubles were now heightened since he realized that Captain Testarossa _was_ there. There were no guards stationed outside as there should have been, and there were no guards in here as there _definitely_ should have been.

He nodded his head at the three in greeting as he approached them.

"Greetings, Captain Testarossa. I'm glad you could make it. How have you been?"

Tessa smiled as she looked up at the tall man towering over her.

"I suppose I'm alright considering the circumstances. Thank you for asking, Father."

"Kevin is fine, Captain."

"Then you may call me Tessa."

"Tessa it is. I hate to ask you this now, but I did not get an exact count from you earlier. Exactly how many visitors did you bring with you? I would hate for there to be an insufficient amount of seating in case there is a large number."

Tessa lowered her head slightly.

"I'm sorry to say that Sergeant Sagara will not be having many visitors; only Lieutenant Kalinin, Lieutenant Commander Mardukas, Sergeant Webber, Sergeant Major Mao, and I came."

Kevin tried his best to hide his worried tone and expression. He had no idea how well he was doing on that matter, though.

"I see. If there is such a shortage, any guards or soldiers you may have brought along are welcome to attend also." he said, still trying to keep hope that if something were to happen, he wouldn't be the sole line of defense.

"Thank you, Kevin. But, the five of us are the only ones who came. We did not feel as if the situation called upon my needing to bring guards with us. As Lieutenant Commander Mardukas pointed out, there isn't much of a chance that there will be trouble at a church. Even if there was, I've heard that I'm under the best protection available while I'm anywhere within a mile's radius of you." she said with a polite smile.

Kevin had to resist gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. This was _not_ how he had planned. This would put him alone guarding _everyone_ now. For the first time, he actually almost swore.

"Thank you, Tessa. I am quite flattered that you think so. It has become aware to me that you and Miss Chidori are well acquainted. I will not keep you any further. If you will excuse me…" he said as he politely bowed his head to her.

When he turned away from her, it was apparent by his expression that he was not pleased. He wasn't displeased with Tessa, just displeased with current amount of trained professionals there were, or the lack thereof. He quickly made his way for the door at a hastened pace.

Meredith looked at Kaname with a smile. They were both probably somewhat relieved by what was said. There was very little chance of what Kevin feared happening, but neither had liked his previous plan.

Kaname turned around to face Tessa.

"Hi, Tessa." she tried to say in a happy voice, but it still sounded sorrowful.

"I'm glad we're able to meet again, Kaname. I only wish it were under better circumstances." she said as she turned her gaze toward the casket lying on the large, marble up-rise at the front of the room.

"Yes, I know."

Tessa turned her gaze back towards Kaname.

"Kaname, I'm so sorry. I know this has to be hard for you." she said in a shaky voice.

Tessa walked up and gave her a light hug of comfort. It may not look good for her being a captain, but at the moment it didn't matter. When it came down to it, she and Kaname were friends. And, friends weren't afraid to show they cared.

Kaname pulled away and motioned towards Meredith.

"Tessa, as I'm sure you know, this is Sister Meredith." she said while looking towards Meredith.

Meredith held out her hand to Tessa.

"I'm glad to meet you, Captain Testarossa."

"You too. I have really…"

"Damn it!" boomed the voice of Kevin.

Everyone jumped in surprise as the exceptionally loud voice echoed throughout the large room in the church and almost stopped a few hearts.

Everyone jumped again when they heard the large, wooden, front door swing open and slam against the walls with tremendous force.

They all looked at Kevin as he quickly made his way back over to the group with a worried expression on his face. Kevin immediately held out an extended finger toward the back of the church.

"Meredith, get everyone down into the basement of the church immediately!" he commanded.

Tessa gave Kaname a strange, worried look as she did the same to Meredith who did the same to Kevin. Meredith stuttered a few syllables from the surprise of Kevin's uncharacteristic shouting and commanding before she was able to find words to speak.

"Why? What's going on? Why do you want us to go down there for?"

The questions came at a hastened pace for fear of not being able to get them out in time.

"Go down where?" questioned a casual voice from the large doors of the church.

Meredith turned around in surprise when she saw Kevin do the same. She immediately saw a long, blonde haired woman dressed in tight leather clothing standing in the doorway of the church leaned up against the support beam. Meredith had never seen the woman before. Sure, she looked out of place, but she didn't seem like the kind of person who would get that kind of reaction out of Kevin. But, could she possibly be the one Kevin and Kaname had been talking about?

Meredith turned around to question Kaname. Her question was answered for her when she saw Kaname frozen in fear as she stared fearfully at the woman in the doorway. Meredith immediately felt a tightening in her stomach as a reaction to the tense atmosphere.

"Too late." muttered Kevin with a sound of quiet exasperation in his voice.

Ace first took in the expressions of Kevin and Kaname, and then she finally turned a smile toward Meredith.

"You're Sister Meredith, right? No need to answer; I already know." she said before turning her head to stare at Tessa.

"And, I suppose that leaves you as being Captain Testarossa?" she asked with an expression which implied she needed no answer. "Good. That means I'll be able to kill _three_ birds with one stone!" she said with glee.

Kevin was shocked when his mind quickly pieced together what was implied by her statement. He snapped a glance towards Tessa, the third bird, who was looking around having no idea what was going on. Kevin was falsely relieved to see that Kalinin and Mardukas had come up to where their captain was, and Kurtz and Melissa had likewise done the same. His mind immediately began working through several different strategies as well as what the weakest parts of the church walls were in order to make another quick exit from the church. If worse turned to worst, he saw at least four meat-shields in the immediate vicinity. Five including himself.

Tessa immediately took offense to the woman's implied meaning. She had probably never met anyone so disrespectful, disgraceful, arrogant, and curt in her life. She approached in a hastened pace up to the unknown woman despite the hands of her advisors trying to hold her back.

"Who exactly do you think you are?!" she commanded to know.

"Have you no respect or understanding as to what is going on here?! Do you have…"

Tessa stopped short when she was looking at the bottom of a leather boot which she could only guess was on the foot of the woman who was standing in front of her. She immediately went wide-eyed, sure she had been kicked at the speed of light since she hadn't even blinked her eyes and still didn't even see the woman moved. She managed to quickly take a step back from the kick so not to be hit. She stepped back quickly enough to be able to see that Kevin had a firm grip on the woman's leg, thus, having stopped the kick before it could connect with her.

In the quick second that followed, the woman used Kevin's hold on her leg to her advantage as she smirked, pulled down with the leg which Kevin's grip did not budge from which made sure she did not fall while her other leg was off the ground, and rotated her body around in a flexible way so to be able to deliver a solid, powerful kick to Kevin's head. She was quite surprised when Kevin let go of her leg just as quickly and grabbed the other before it could connect. He grabbed hold with his other hand and used the momentum of her previous spin to his advantage, spun around once with the flow of the momentum of the monstrous kick from Ace, and released his grip on her leg which sent her hurtling towards the wall.

Ace gracefully went into a back flip, landed in a perched position with both feet against the wall, adjusted her sight to Kaname who was furthest from Kevin, and kicked off the wall towards her with her legs.

Kaname shrieked when she saw the woman lunge at her from her position on the… wall. Ace threw a punch at Kaname as soon as she was within striking distance, fully intent on the blow being the first and last to the girl. To her surprise once again, the priest was a lot faster than she remembered him being from their previous encounter.

Kevin, with a speed matching Ace's, placed himself between Kaname and the quickly approaching Ace. He grabbed Ace's hand as she threw the punch at Kaname, ducked down into an agile supportive pose and expertly and gracefully circled himself around Kaname once again taking Ace around with him using her momentum to his advantage before coming to a stop in front of Kaname once again with her pressed slightly against his back.

Ace immediately realized he was going to try the same thing again. As she and the priest circled low around her previous intended prey, she planted her foot firmly on the ground before the priest had the chance to discard her again. She spun around on the pivot of her heel, likewise using the previous momentum to her advantage. The priest was getting annoying… again. But, this time he seemed more at the game than he had been before. She did not know why and she didn't want to bother taking the time to find out. She was still much more advanced than he was, so there was really no need to worry. Regardless, she would take him down quickly with her next death move.

As she spun around, she brought her fist across Kevin's face with the force of speeding vehicle and the expert precision of a sniper. Her mind immediately screamed 'success' when she saw the sweat fly off of the priest's face from the sheer force of the blow as it quickly turned to the side with a jerk. Oddly enough, she felt as if the punch did not contain nearly as much impact behind it as it should have. The priest spun around and down to the ground… but he wasn't unconscious.

Kevin rolled with the great force of Ace's blow. It still rattled his jaw, but it even surprised him as to how little it actually hurt. She seemed to be moving so much slower than she had been before. Or… maybe he was moving faster. It didn't matter as long as he was able to protect God's Gifted. He feinted unconsciousness as he spun around from the force of the blow. He once again skillfully used the circular momentum of the blow to his advantage as he placed one hand on the floor which let out a loud rubbing, screech against the marble floor as it revolved along with his body while giving it balance. He then planted the other hand firmly on the ground to stop his upper body from spinning, exerted his muscles in his waist in order to add more momentum to his lower half as he brought both feet off the floor and aimed them at Ace's chest.

Ace actually gasped in surprise as she saw the priest's counterattack. The attack came fast. It was so fast and unexpected that she had no time to dodge out of the way of it: only block it. She brought both hands up over her chest in the shape of a protective 'x'. The impact was harder than she would have ever imagined. The sheer force of the double kick actually rose her up off of the floor and sent her through the air before she actually lightly landed on her feet in a crouched position several yards away. The priest almost executed that attack as quickly and strongly as she could! How was that possible?!

Kaname stood like a statue. She feared that she may disrupt or _be _disrupted by Kevin's movements if she were to accidentally get in his way. So, she stood there as still as possible while he maneuvered his way around her with Ace in a very intricate dance. She also stood still for fear of what may happen to her if she were to get in the path of their fractal waltz.

She watched in amazement with her mouth hanging slightly open as Kevin came up out of his kick with both feet straight up in the air and instantly leapt with his hands back to his feet in a standing, defensive position. Whatever the priest was doing, she knew it was impossible for a human.

Her daydream state was interrupted violently when she heard the continuous reign of gunfire sing through the air like fireworks on a holiday. So many bullets flew through the air at their potentially dangerous target that it almost gave her the impression that she was standing before a miniature firing squad.

Kurtz, Melissa, Kalinin, and Mardukas had quickly brought out their concealed weapons and began executing with a prejudice like no other. All seemed to be very surprised when they saw the blur of the woman's arm shift through the air. If their perceptions hadn't been heightened by a certain degree due to time spent on edge in the field, none of them would have even caught the slight glimpse they did. They were even more surprised to see that she was unscratched and there was no chipped marble anywhere in the room to indicated they had missed.

Ace smiled at the group when she saw their confused looks. She loved toying with her prey. She _loved _it. Her hand opened slightly to her group of unwitting prey before her to reveal to them the answer to the mystery of where their ammunition had went after being discharged from their weapons. Her pride presented her with an heirish smirk once she saw everyone's astonished expressions. Or, everyone at least for the priest; he seemed to have been expecting it. Or… could he have seen it?

She didn't want to find out the answer to her question. She feared that the priest may actually have been somewhat of a threat to her completing her mission. She aimed with expert precision, thrust her arm holding the bullets forward, and returned the bullets at the five bodyguards at almost the same speed they had exited the guns. She doubted, however, that the priest could dodge bullets. She knew for a fact that none of the four with the weapons could either.

And, she was right. The priest couldn't dodge bullets. He simply _didn't have to. _He could _block _them. With an object not on hand to top it all off. She thought that she was the only person who could and ever would be able to do that.

The sounds of crunching and splintering wood filled the air as one of the church benches was brought up between the five people and the path of the deathly, accurate, thrown bullets. The bullets entered into the sturdy oak of the bench Kevin had brought up in less than a split second. He surprised even himself at what he did. Actually, he was astonished. But, he couldn't let Ace know that. He had to make her think he was capable of everything he had done the entire time. Everyone watched in complete astonishment as he twirled the twelve foot long bench above his head and brought it behind his back in attack position with relative ease. … With one hand.

He smirked.

Ace stared at him, studying his posture. It actually sent a shiver down her spine. He shouldn't under any circumstances have been able to do any of the things he had. She was impressed by his uncanny ability when she almost wiped him out in Colorado. But, now it seemed as if she were actually _trying_ to kill him and was having a hard time doing it. It seemed as if the priest might actually be a challenge for her. She was nervous, but she couldn't let him know that. She had to make him continue thinking he didn't have a chance against her. She looked around the area with a faked casualness to take in her surroundings: something she had never had to do before. She realized that the room was large, but was still constricting to her maximum movement. The priest had an advantage which could end up making this an even battle in these confined spaces. But, by no means could she let him know this. She would have to play this off to her advantage.

Ace took on an impish smirk as she casually rubbed a scuff on her leather boot.

"Rather impressive, Priest." she said with a smile. "I was just going to simply kill everyone and get this over with, but it seems as if you may offer me a novice challenge that I wasn't expecting."

Everything had happened so fast that Kurtz and Melissa, as well as Kalinin and Mardukas only now had time to react again. Not to mention they were momentarily stunned by the concept of Kevin being able to stop bullets with a several hundred pound church bench. They immediately stepped in front of their captain and glared at the woman with such a look it seemed as if they could turn her to stone. She spared them only a moment of her glance before passing them off as nothing of concern. She turned her gaze back to the person who had her complete attention.

She looked at Kevin and gave him an innocent, sweet, smile that he imagined only Lucifer himself could have given.

"I absolutely _love _the idea of a challenge, but it seems as if I took you by surprise and you're at a disadvantage in these closed in spaces. I'll give you two minutes to meet me outside. Prepare however you wish, but do not even think about running away." she said as she dropped the smile from her face like a hot potato. "Or, I will make all of you suffer when I catch up to you."

Ace turned around and slowly walked toward the front door whistling an off-key tune, hoping she didn't get surprised from behind. She silently congratulated herself on sounding so convincing. Acting seemed to be something she could add to her huge repertoire of skills.

As soon as Ace was outside and had shut the doors behind her, Kevin finally gave in to the pain. He dropped the bench on the floor with a loud clatter and fell down on his knees with a groan of pain and grasped both of his throbbing arms with his hands. He hissed in pain as he tightened his grip on them in a vain attempt to sooth the pain. Everyone immediately flocked over to him. Meredith, Kaname, and Tessa immediately kneeled down next to him. Meredith lightly and reluctantly placed a hand on his leg, not knowing if the pain only stopped in his arms.

"Kevin! Are you alright?" she asked, still amazed by what she had just seen him do.

"My arms… legs too... I overexerted my muscles… they feel like they're on fire." he finished with another hiss of pain.

Kalinin politely motioned for Kaname and Meredith to move aside so he and Kurtz could help Kevin up. They lifted him, one by each arm, and sat him on one of the benches. Kevin relaxed into the bench with a pained groan as he held the thigh of his leg.

"Father Jacobs, who was that?! What does she want, and why does she want to kill these three?" Mardukas said, dropping all formalities as he motioned his hand toward Kaname, Meredith, and Tessa.

Kevin held up his right hand which was trembling from the excessive use of his muscles. He grabbed onto it with his right hand and gave it a hateful look as if to still its shaking with force and intimidation.

"Kevin. My name is Kevin. Her name is Ace. I don't know what she wants, nor do I know why she wants to kill them. The only connection I can make is because they are all three G… Whispered." he replied. "Kaname and I have already had the pleasure of meeting her once. She is not a person which can be stopped."

Everyone was silent for a moment, pondering what was just said and what they had just witnessed. Kaname, Meredith, and Melissa were busy attempting in vain to rub the pain out of Kevin who almost seemed as if he were only half conscious. Mardukas was occupied with trying to comfort Tessa who was still thinking about how lucky she was to still be alive. Kalinin's mind immediately occupied itself with coming up with calculations on the best forms of escaping. Unfortunately, none of the ideas had a very high percentage of any of them getting out alive. And, he didn't want to chance anything considering the last words Ace had said before she went outside to wait for Kevin.

Obviously, the scenario was getting too tense for Kurtz Weber.

"Hey! I don't know about her not being able to be stopped! You seemed to be doing a pretty da…" he paused, taking in exactly where he was at. "… darn good job at stopping her just a little while ago! Man, how were you doing that stuff you were doing just a little while ago?! It was amazing! I'd say you'll probably mop the floor with her!"

Kurtz quickly looked around him as if on guard to parry whatever attacks from Melissa may have been provoked by his recent uncalled for burst of enthusiasm. Oddly enough, and very much to his liking, there was no need for him to go on the defensive. She actually seemed to let something that _almost_ looked like the cracking of a smile fleet across her lips. Kevin let out a humored grunt at Kurtz's remark.

"Honestly… I have no idea how I did it. Every reaction just seemed to be good idea at the time, and to my surprise, I was actually able to pull the most of it off." he said with an exhausted sigh. "I'm confused. During our last encounter, I didn't stand a chance against her, but now…" he concluded, not bothering to finish as he rose from his sitting position on the bench.

A loud crack sounded from his back as he bent slightly to the side with a wince. He immediately let his trenchcoat loaded with all of his assorted melee weapons fall to the ground with a loud 'thunk.' The shedding of the large leather trenchcoat revealed the soaked, white shirt clinging tightly to his body. It clearly showed the outline of the bandages under it which seemed to bring a contemplative look to his face when he actually noticed it. He pulled the adhesive-like shirt away from the bandages and carefully pulled it off over his head. He dropped the shirt on the marble floor where it landed with a loud, wet 'splat.'

Meredith winced when she saw all of the painful looking bruises which were starting to form all along his chest and back. She started to protest when he started to pull at the bandages wrapped around his ribs. Unfortunately, he let out a loud growl of frustration and spoke before she could.

"Would someone help me out of these things?!" he unintentionally snapped at whoever was around.

Kurtz, Melissa, and Kalinin immediately moved in to assist him in getting off the binding contraption.

"Wait! Kevin, your ribs are broken! Those bandages are the only things protecting your ribs if you get…" Kaname started to protest before she was interrupted.

"I don't care if I'm at risk of falling into pieces! These damned things are hampering my movement. If I have any hope of increasing our _limited_ chances of survival, the last thing I need is something to _get in_ the way of me being able to _get out_ of the way!" he said, raising his voice in general frustration.

Kurtz looked around at Kaname and gave her a shrug. He then pulled out his pocketknife and began cutting off the bandages as Melissa and Kalinin did the same. No more than half a minute later, the final bandage was removed from Kevin.

Kevin did a few stretches to assess the total damage to his ribs and found them to be in a satisfactory working order. He took in a few deep breaths before split-stepping around and doing a few seconds of shadow boxing in order to limber himself up. Or… perhaps it was just to attempt to get his adrenaline working a little bit. If the situation had been different, he would have been excited about his new found abilities. But, excited would have been the last word used to describe him considering the circumstances.

He walked over to his trenchcoat and studied it carefully before finally reaching down and grabbed a piece of steel sticking out of the top of it. He rose up after grabbing it and started to pull it out. It was a bo staff made of a stainless steel. He twirled his chosen weapon around in the air to make sure he still had the feel for it before turning to walk towards the door. He stopped before he got to the door and spoke to the small crowd in the church. But, he dared not turn around to face them. He was currently in… _that _stage.

"I would command everyone to make a run for it, but I fear it would hold no result. Also, I would not like to test her last threat to find out if she were telling the truth. But, if I fail, Go… the Whispered must be protected at all costs. Mr. Mardukas, Mr. Kalinin, Ms. Mao, Mr. Weber… if I fail…" he paused to let out a sigh, trying to choose the bests words.

"… protect them as I would."

He said nothing else as he opened the door and walked out into the pouring rain.

"Be careful, Kevin." Meredith inaudibly whispered to herself. But, Kaname heard her. Or, perhaps she was unknowing saying the same thing.

* * *

_"How are we looking?"_

_"Better, but still not good enough. Let Jacobs do his thing."

* * *

_

Rain poured to the point that it almost hampered vision. But, Kevin could see clearly. Yes, he could _see._ He saw _her._ The threat, the threat to all he believed in. The rain pelted harshly off of her leather clothing, and her long, blonde hair stuck as tightly to it as it did her body. Even he would have found her to be… appealing… _if_ he had not known who she was. So, to him... she was the most wretched thing he had ever seen. … Second to himself, of course. But, that much was granted.

Ace turned around when she heard the large doors of the church slam shut. She looked around at the empty parking lot which seemed to have very small streams running along it with a huge puddle in the very middle of it where it dipped. She loved the setting. It seemed to be something straight out of a movie. She held up her hands to see them shaking. She squeezed them tightly into fists as she turned her gaze towards Kevin. She could still feel them shaking.

She hadn't been this excited in a _long _time.

Her attention was momentarily diverted to him due to her perception revealing that he had partially stripped. Despite the cold rain, he was going to sacrifice comfort so he could fight her with his all. How _nice_ of him. The rain seemed to be repelled sharply by his well-formed bare chest and shoulders, his pants clung tightly to him due to the rain, the heavy rain beat violently against the metal pole he was carrying with him which seemed to make it sing its own melody in the air of the night, and his eyes blue eyes glistened with a never ending depth in the pale moonlight.

Staring at his advancing figure brought about an unreasoned reaction. She suddenly remembered what exactly he was about. He was a man of his so called 'God.' She thought him to be a fool, but he was far more advanced than any man could ever be. Perhaps he did have the power of some sort of deity? It startled her to even think about the unexplainable sciences which were going on.

He advanced… like an avatar sent to smite her. And, perhaps in his mind… he was. His glistening blue eyes alone shone like a fire which threatened to burn everything in its path. The pathetic words she had once read in a poem came back to her with the force of a hurricane's festive winds.

_Tyger, tyger, burning bright_

_In the forests of the night._

_What immortal hand or eye_

_Could frame thy fearful symmetry?_

Kevin advanced toward her at a quickened pace as he twirled his staff around his shoulder and behind him. The staff threw and repelled the rain with such a force that the path of its circular movement could be seen glistening in the air with the falling rain.

Ace let out an enraged yell as she hesitated no longer in bull rushing Kevin. Obviously she took him by surprise when she dashed forward and threw her strongest punch at his face. The impact hurled him immediately to the ground. Ace pounced on him like a cat on the mouse and began bringing her fists down on him in rapid succession.

She smiled what seemed to be a sadistic smile as she pounded away on Kevin. But, unknown to whoever may have been looking, it was actually a smile of joy. So, the priest _wasn't_ a threat to her! She had overestimated him. To her great delight, she had him straddled and was beating the Hell… or Heaven out of him.

She had positioned herself to where his staff was pinned underneath her while she was sitting on top of him. To her surprise, the staff slipped out from under her after the third hit. She didn't think much of it at first until it knocked her hands out from under her while she was leaning over to strike him again. She fell against his chest with a grunt before she felt the sharp blow of a knee to her stomach. She was raised up slightly from the weight of the blow and was immediately raised into the air by a harsh knee under the chin.

Unexpectedly, she was thrown several feet into the air by the force of his knee. As she tried to spiral herself back into a proper position for landing, she saw the priest spinning around before she was met with a pain which exceeded all pain she had ever felt in her life.

Kevin immediately stood when he kneed Ace off of him. To his delight, his simple knee to the chin actually sent her into the air and he was able to stand much quicker than he had ever imagined. He took it to his advantage that she was still in the process of falling back down even though he had already stood. He spun around quickly to gain force and momentum behind his blow as he snapped his metal staff outward at the end of the spin, aiming it directly at Ace's side.

Ace saw what looked like waves in the rain as the priest spun around quickly. The metal rod hissed out a melodic 'zing' as it cut through the rain with such force it made waves and a rather beautiful pattern in the rain.

The staff connected with tremendous force. The blunt rod would have easily cut a regular person in half, but Ace wasn't like any regular person. … It still hurt like hell.

Ace soared several feet through the air before landing and skidding across the parking lot and even skipped over the puddle of water in the middle of the parking lot like a skipping stone. She came to a halt on the other side of the huge puddle. She didn't do much in the way of moving, and instead held on firmly to her side, withering in pain. To her surprise, she had _underestimated _the priest. He wasn't just a mild challenge; he was _deadly. _Not to mention he was highly adept at using that stick of his.

She stopped rolling around just in time to see Kevin soaring high in the air. She thought for a second he was able to fly, but realized that he was only jumping as he started to land. Then, horror struck her when she realized that he was about to jump on her. Even worse, he had that stick raised into the air like a javelin. It seemed as if he had every intention of impaling her with that thing as if it was a national flag and she was unclaimed territory.

She rolled out of the way just in time. The staff stabbed into the concrete, sending pieces of rubble in all directions as it wedged itself firmly into the ground. To her liking, it seemed as if he had missed his chance to claim new land in the name of Spain.

"Shit!"

That surprisingly… was Kevin. He pulled up on his staff once more, but to no avail. He had driven it at least three feet into the solid concrete, and it wasn't coming out.

Ace took her opportunity while Kevin was distracted. She placed her hand on the ground to push herself upward. She flew into the air to where she was head level with him. She was still lying as flat as she was on the ground and used this to her advantage. She shifted herself in midair to where her feet were facing Kevin's head. She brought her legs apart in a cross-scissor like motion just as he turned a surprised glance her way. His eyes spelled anger but his face spelled horror. Ace closed her legs first kicking him in the neck and the second to the back of the head. It should have broken his neck, but it didn't. Instead, the force of it sent him into a forward flip to where he landed hard on his back. Ace then placed one leg on the back of his neck, kept the other on the front of his neck, locked her feet together, and began to squeeze. Surprisingly, he still wasn't dead after the immediate pressure on his throat. She was starting to believe that he may have been made out of the same material as his staff.

Kevin let out a choked cough as he kicked frantically and in vain to get lose from her vice. He desperately swung his fist down at the top of her leg in hopes he might be able to break it, but Ace easily caught his hand in both of hers. She eased on down to where she was choking him with her knees. She then slid her hand down his wrist and forearm to get him in an armlock. She smiled at her ability and at the struggle she was having with putting this man down. She had _never _had to actually _try_ to kill a person before. Finally, he stopped struggling, but she kept her grip to make sure he wasn't faking.

Suddenly, her grip slipped slightly from his arm. Not because of him pulling or because her grip gave out, but because his arm muscles had expanded. The muscles pulsed once again as they expanded. Her grip not as much a grip anymore as much as it was just a placement of her hands on his massive arm. She had to wrap the entirety of both of her arms around his just to be able to hold on. She almost shrieked when she felt his other arm violently shoot up between her feet, effectively breaking them from their lock. However, she kept her legs in a vice around his neck. He then brought his hand further up above her legs, grabbed her feet and strained to push them down. He actually managed to push them from around his neck down past his chest and around his waist. He took the other arm which she was holding and violently jerked it to his side. This caused Ace to slide as far up against his side as she could. She still had her legs around him, however, and squeezed as tight as she could with her legs.

This didn't settle too well with Kevin's already broken ribs, but he still managed. He brought both of his legs straight into the air and then brought them down as hard as he could against the concrete. There was a huge splash of water in the puddle as the force propelled him into a backflip. He aptly landed on his feet and only stumbled slightly but managed to keep his balance. Ace was gripping tightly to his left hand, so he tightened his right into a fist. He tightened the muscles in his left arm as much as he could and brought it up with all his might as if to uppercut some unseen foe. Ace, as expected, kept her grip but was brought up and over with his arm. While holding on with all she had, her legs lost their grip on his waist.

Kevin brought his right fist up to meet his left. As a result of Ace still being attached to the left arm like a leech, she was punched on the side of her jaw. It didn't hurt as much as she would have thought, but she was stunned. This caused her to loosen her grip on his arm for a split second, causing her to slip on down his arm before she tightened her grip again. She had slid far enough down his arm to be in gripping reach of the hand on the same arm. Kevin tightly wrapped his hand around her neck. She stared fearfully at him once she realized what had happened.

His eyes glistened with what she could only guess was a pure, murderous intent she had never seen before.

_In what distant deeps or skies_

_Burnt the fire of thine eyes?_

_On what wings dare he aspire?_

_What the hand dare seize the fire?_

_And what shoulder and what art_

_Could twist the sinews of thy heart?_

_And when thy heart began to beat,_

_What dread hand and what dread feet?

* * *

_

_Everyone _in the church was gathered around the large window looking out at the fight. They were horrified to see what Ace was capable of and felt helpless, but were astonished to see that Kevin was her equal and felt a twinge of hope.

Meredith, who had known him the longest, was more so enthralled than anyone else.

"How… how is he capable of doing… what he's doing?" she questioned while struggling to find the words at the moment.

Tessa turned a confused look toward Meredith.

"You really don't know?" she questioned in response.

"No, he can't be one of the Whispered, can he?"

"No, that's not _quite _it. You see, Kevin's mother was a Whispered, but she didn't pass it on to him. However, a slight trigger _did_ get passed on to him." she explained.

"And… what is that trigger?" Meredith questioned further.

"Other Whispered. Kevin picks up on the resonance that all Whispered have and transfers it into power." Tessa responded.

Kaname looked at Tessa, somewhat confused also by her explanation.

"But, I, a Whispered, was with him early this morning when this woman first attacked. I was astonished by what he was able to do, but it was nothing like what he can do now." Kaname informed.

"I understand. But, you see. Kevin's ability is above normal human capabilities without the trigger being present. But, they are doubled when there is a Whispered anywhere within a quarter mile of him. It is doubled _again_ if there are two Whispered. You see, his power is cumulative. Currently… there're three of us. The more of us there are near him, the more his power picks up on the resonance."

Meredith nodded in understanding.

"Does he know this?" Meredith questioned.

"I don't know? What do you think?" she replied.

Meredith smiled slightly in response. The answer clearly came to her as she remembered what Kevin had always told her whenever she interrogated him about some of the remarkable things he could do.

"He gets his power from God… to protect God's Gifted."

* * *

Ace brought up her leg to kick Kevin in the stomach but couldn't get it in at a good angle since she was being held around the neck. She held on with both hands to his in order to stop from being choked to death in her reversed role. She desperately kicked him again, but at an only slightly better angle.

Kevin didn't even feel it.

_What the hammer? What the chain?_

_In what furnace was thy brain?_

_What the anvil? What dread grasp_

_Dare its deadly terrors clasp?_

Kevin smiled manically as he brushed a clinging strand of hair away from her face. It was a tender touch which seemed completely out of place and even morbid. But, to Ace the touch said a million words. Was this symbolic of the priest's willingness to forgive all of God's children? Or, was he just torturing her like she had him and Kaname.

Kevin pivoted around on his heel to where he was no longer holding her above the knee deep puddle of water and instead above the solid, wet concrete of the church parking lot. Without warning, he tightened his grip around her neck and slammed her as hard as he could against the concrete. Her head was the first thing to make contact.

Yes, he was just torturing her.

Ace hit the concrete with such force she bounced. But, to Kevin's surprise, she was not dead as soon as she hit, nor did it seem as if she were anywhere near dead, only wounded. The slightly bounce and release of Kevin's grip from around her neck was enough for her to slap the ground and send herself into a sideways spin. She extended her left leg out as far as it could and aimed it at the temple on the side of Kevin's head. She had to kill him _now. _

The heel of Ace's foot connected fiercely with the side of Kevin's head. He just barely managed to inch out of a killing blow. He immediately toppled to floor, stunned and knowing he wouldn't be able to get back up.

Ace lay still for a moment, breathing heavily and coughing due to the previous pressure on her neck. Not once had she went through one of that old man's training sessions that were anywhere near as challenging or dangerous as the battle she had just had with the priest. Whoever he was, he must have had someone looking out for him in order for him to have survived this long. Not to mention…

_Shit._

She listened carefully to hear that Kevin was still breathing. But, she knew that despite how much he had surprised her, he wouldn't be getting back up.

"You have got to be kidding me!" she practically yelled as she rolled onto her back and slammed her hand against the ground.

She let out a sigh as she rose to her feet and stood above Kevin. She brought back her hand which was shaking from such overuse of her abilities. She firmly outstretched her fingers and pulled back her arm, ready to use her spear-hand maneuver to finish him off.

"Father Jacobs, thank you. I've never had so much fun in my life. Truly, thank you." she whispered to him, almost solemnly as she brought her spear-like hand down towards his back above where she knew his heart would be.

_When the stars threw down their spears,_

_And water'd heaven with their tears, _

_Did He smile His work to see?_

_Did He who made the lamb make thee?

* * *

_

_"Come on! We have to move now! There is no more time! He's about to die!"_

_"Fine. But, you'll be down and out for a few months after this. Also, I'm taking over or else you'll get me trashed again!"

* * *

_

Everyone watched in fear as Ace brought her hand above Kevin for the killing strike.

"Kevin!" screamed Meredith in a cracking voice as she watched helplessly from the window.

Kaname fell to the floor with her hands covering her face at just that second also.

Everyone jumped in surprise when they heard a loud cracking of wood come from behind them. They looked around, fearing the worst, just in time to see the top of Sousuke's casket unhinge and fall to the floor with a loud clatter. They were startled again when they heard a loud crash. They looked back around to see that the large, oak doors had flown open from the inside, meaning someone had went out. Everyone exchanged confused looks, obviously thinking the same thing.

* * *

Kevin weakly managed to look around in time after she had whispered those last words to see his death coming at him.

Suddenly, there was a loud thud sound and nothing more. Ace was no longer standing above him.

Instead, directly in her place was a man in a tuxedo standing up straight with both hands held signature style and stiffly at his side with both hands balled into fists. His brown hair was slicked back, glistening in the moonlight due to the excessive amounts of gel used to fix the once completely unstyled hair.

The young man turned his head slightly to his right as if looking at something, and in the process he revealed a tell-tale cross shaped scar on his cheek.

Kevin knew who it was, but did not understand how it could have been. Somehow, he was more intrigued by what he was looking at. Then, he remembered. Where was Ace?

He looked in the direction that the young man standing before him was looking. He saw Ace tumbling, rolling, and flipping head over heels on the ground far across the opposite side of the parking lot. The force behind the propulsion of her unwanted path was such that it caused her to tear up all of the grass in the straight line that she skidded over the ground, leaving only fresh, bare soil where there was once lustrous grass.

She laid there, unmoving.

Kevin was astonished by the… distance. His attention was diverted back to the young man when he began to speak.

"XLT model 46M2. AI advanced issue P3." he said as he nodded his head approvingly. "Very impressive."

Kevin ignored what he was saying and went about interrogating the man for what he hoped… and feared may be right.

"Sousuke? Sousuke Sagara? Are… are you Sousuke Sagara?" he questioned, despite the obvious proof standing before him.

"Uh… kind of." he replied as he turned around to face him.

Judging from the way he looked, this could only be Kevin's dear friend, Sousuke Sagara. He even sounded the same, and even used the same… verbal tics. But, there was something different about him… aside from the fact that he just sent Ace a football field's distance away from them with an unseen blow. As a matter of fact, he didn't hit her. He just rammed her.

His eyes.

The light caught Sousuke's eyes in just the right position to reveal them clearly to Kevin.

He actually gasped in horror as he saw his eyes.

They were normal. But, inside they contained deep pits of spite, hate, malice, pain, death, grief, and an unlimited urge and need to _kill_. His eyes were startling. It was like he had just stared into the eyes of the Devil. No, he _did_ stare into the eyes of the Devil.

Sousuke smirked as he motioned his thumb behind him toward Ace who was painfully pulling herself up off of the ground.

"Actually, I'm Sagara's temporary replacement. Right now, I have to operate for the both of us. And right now…" he paused long enough to turn his head to glance back at Ace.

"… she's on our shit-list."

He smiled with delight as he imagined thousands of different ways in which he would be able to torture and kill her.

And, those horrible eyes glistened. Those eyes… which housed a horrible flame.

_Tyger, tyger, burning bright_

_In the forests of the night._

_What immortal hand or eye_

_Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?_

TO BE CONTINUED

**Author's Notes: **If there is anyone reading this that enjoys poetry, I would highly recommend you read some of William Blake's poetry. It is simply fantastic. "The Tyger" is one of his most famous pieces.


End file.
